Happy Dreamer

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 11, 2017

Review

From the shiny cover showing a joyful child to the whimsical endpapers to the colorful, exuberant illustrations on each page, this picture book is a love note to all of those lovely, dreamy, different kids, the ones who don't always sit still or color in the lines. Reynolds struggled with being a dreamer as a child; fortunately, he was supported by his parents, but not all adults appreciated his "zig zaggy brain," so this book is also for adults who work with or love dreamers. It is a delightful read-aloud and so many kids will relate to the message. The only problem for a library is the full fold-out showing the dreamers, but this is merely a physical problem as it could tear; as a concept, the page is beautiful and kids will pore over the different dreamers, pointing and identifying themselves on the page. A first purchase for any public or school library.

Overall Book Score: excellent