Dream: One of my Favorite Children's Books

Anyone who knows me, and has seen my library, knows that I love children's books. They can be so simple and beautiful in the ways they express ideas. As a former teacher I loved to use children's books as examples to my students for any number of topics from research to storyline, to presentation to editing...the possibilities are endless. I know that I will eventually share more than this one book, but I had to start with Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom, and Wishes, by Susan V. Bosak.

Dream has won 11 awards including: Pinnacle, Best Gift Book, IPPY, IRA Children's Choice, Teacher's Choice, iParenting, Benjamin Franklin, Adding Wisdom, ABA Book Sense Pick, CBC Starred Our Choice, ForeWord BOYTA, and Visionary awards. I know...quite a lot for a children's book, but once you read it and see the works of 15 of the world's top illustrators come to life, you'll agree that Dream is a great find.

The book begins with a star emerging from a chest of dreams that invites you to "Dream with me." It takes you on a short journey through it's life and what it has learned. On the way you are not only read beaurifully written passages and see amazing illustrations, but each page also has inspiring quotes by people like Sir Edmund Hilkary, Niel Armstrong, and Emily Dickinson. In the end this star shares what it has learned about dreams with the reader, "Be a dreamer. With everything around you, with everything before and after you, with everything that is you...."

The book could end there, but there's more. If you go to http://www.legacyproject.org/ you'll be led through interactive activities, contests, workshops, and more that surround this wonderful book...this wonderful idea of dreaming.

An excerpt from the slipcover:

"Dream whisks you away on a colorful journey of a lifetime - your lifetime. Whoosh through the teddy bears and castles of childhood. Whoosh again into labyrinths and mountains of adulthood. With more to find each time you open it, this is a book to explore with children, to reflect on yourself, and to share with anyone special to you. It's about pursuing your dreams - you're never too young or too old to dream. It's also about being a part of something bigger - the flow of life that, generation after generation, builds on the past and continues to hope for the future."

QUESTION: WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE ILLUSTRATOIN IN THE BOOK?

*mine is on pg. 12-13 by Shaun Tan; it's about growing older and conquering the world.