If I had a little dream by Nina Laden illustrated by Melissa Castrillon

"If I had a little house,

I would name it Love.

Love would make me happy

and protect me like a glove. ...

If I had a little pond,

I would name it Wonder.

Wonder would show me beauty

above the water and under."

You might like to read my previous post about picture books that contain poems, or philosophical musing. If I had a little dream perfectly fits this category. It is a lyrical book with scrumptious illustrations and it would be a comforting book to share during a quiet reading time with your young reading companion but you do need to know there is no actual narrative in this book. It is just a series of thoughts or dreams or musings. It could be a lovely gift for a new child or as a Christening present. If you read this book to a class of older students the form of each page/poem could be used as a writing stimulus.

If I had a little land; If I had a little house; If I had a little garden; If I had a little pond; If I had a little boat; If I had a little bicycle; If I had a little table; If I had a little chair; If I had a little dog; If I had a little cat; If I had a little brother; If I had a little sister; If I had a little book; If I had a little bed; and finally the last page matched the title - If I had a little dream.

See inside this book here

Jacket flap: Celebrate the wonder of the world in this reassuring picture book about the joy, love, and beauty that is part of each and every day. Our world is full of possibilities if you look for them.

Some people (reviewers) are lucky and are sent advance copies of new books - this rarely happens to me but I am lucky because twice each year our local Lifeline hold a charity book sale and I always find so many book treasures - many for gifts and some to keep.

If I had a Little Dream (2017) is listed as AUS$30 on an online bookseller site - my copy was AUS$4 from the sale and it is in mint condition, with an intact dust jacket which, when lifted, reveals a different cover image - I am a huge fan of this. Now I have to decide will I keep this book on my own bulging shelves or gift it to a family.

You can see more books by Nina Laden here. You could use this video with your library group (I would turn off the sound and read it yourself). 

Within the art’s parameters, each page turn produces a fresh look in terms of layout, negative space, and appealing, eye-catching details. The overarching sentiments are love and gentleness, and the verse and artwork complement each other as they lull a child into sleepiness. ... Easy on the eyes and ears; excellent for bedtime. Kirkus

I picked up this book because I have seen other books illustrated by Melissa Castrillon and I do really love her art style. Melissa Castrillon is an and English and Colombian illustrator based in the southeast of England. She spends a large chunk of her days illustrating and writing picture books for children as well illustrating and designing book covers for readers of all ages. She has illustrated more than ten picture books, written three and they have been translated into more than 20 languages around the world.

Her newest book published earlier this year is Love is my favourite Colour (Color for US readers).

Mighty Min

Nano

Dear Little One

The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito illustrated by Julia Kuo

It was between and underneath every sound.

And it had been there all along.

Ma

silence.

Yoshio lives in Tokyo. He meets a musician and asks "do you have a favourite sound?"  The musician says the most beautiful sound is the sound of ma, the sound of silence. 

Yoshio listens to all the sounds in this busy city. The traffic, boots splashing through puddles, rain on umbrellas, the wind in the bamboo, the whoosh of the bullet train and even the sound of chopsticks, slurping and chewing dinner with his family. Finally Yoshio goes to bed but even that is not quiet as there is a radio playing in the background. The next morning Yoshio heads off to school. He arrives very early. Inside he sits at his desk and reads a book.

"Suddenly in the middle of a page, he hear it.
No sounds, no footsteps, no people chattering, no radios, no bamboo, no kotos being tuned.
In that short moment, Yoshio couldn't even hear the sound of his own breath."

The splendid school library I visit each week like to add stickers to the front cover of their books for all sorts of book awards from around the world.  This book had an award I had not seen before. The Sound of Silence was shortlisted for the Red Dot Book award 2017-2018. This award started in 2009 and is awarded through voting by school libraries in Singapore.

Past winners which I have mentioned on this blog:

2016-7 Picture book shortlist On Sudden Hill; Younger Readers winner Diva and Flea; Older Readers winner The Thing about Jellyfish.

2015-6 Younger readers winner Pigsticks and Harold.

2014-5 Older Readers The Fourteenth Goldfish, 3rd Place Rooftoppers.

The 2018-19 award will be presented in May 2019.  I spied The elephant and Juana and Lucas on the Younger Readers list and Tin and The Goldfish boy on the Older Readers list.

I would pair The Sound of Silence with The Sound of Colours and Silence by Lemniscates. Take time to read this detailed review in Horn Book which explains the way the illustrator has used colours to show the city noises. Listen to an excellent All the wonders Podcast  where you can hear the author and illustrator talking in depth about the processes and challenges of creating this book. You can see some pages from the illustrator of The Sound of Silence here.

An inviting tale that will stretch inquisitive and observant young minds—and may even lead children to a greater appreciation of that golden commodity, silence. Kirkus

Silence by Lemniscates

In our busy world it is good to find a book that demands quiet thought.  We have several books in our school library that fulfill this need and here is a new one Silence.

In the silence
I can hear waves crashing

My favourite lines are In Spring, I can hear bees loving flowers.

This book was created by Lemniscates which is an artist co-operative in Barcelona.  They aim to spark curiosity in children and encourage them to develop a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.

You might share this book at night when as a way to reflect on the day.  I also like What the Sky knows, What does Peace Feel like?, The Sound of Colors, If you listen by Charlotte Zolotow, The quiet book and How to by Julie Morstad.

We talk about mindfulness as an important strategy for mental health.  Books like Silence might be a good starting point with your young child.  Put away all devices and enjoy the special moments that come from sharing a special book.