Nocturne: Dream Recipes
Written & Illustrated by Isol
Groundwood Books • 2012 • 32 pages
Spiral Bound ($17.95)
ISBN: 978-1-55498-179-3
Ages 4-8
This book, which includes twelve glow-in-the-dark pictures that become visible when the lights are turned off, will surely become a favorite for bedtime. The reader chooses a dream, places the page next to a bright light for a minimum of five minutes, stands the book next to the night table where he or she can see it, and turns off the light. Each of the twelve picture “dreams” will then be seen, and serve as inspirations to dream.
Some of the hidden pictures are funny, and some are a bit scary. In one dream, there is a monster coming out of a hidden door. In another, a boy is fishing and a giant whale comes up beside him. One of my favorites is The Dream of the Dead Singer because when it glows in the dark, the reader sees skeletons of the mourners and the singer. On the last page, children can draw and create their own dream.
Read Related: Uncle Monarch and the Day of the Dead
The book is used like a flip chart with a metal binder at the top and a triangular base to make it easy for the child to prop up on a nightstand or dresser. Children will look forward to a new dream each night, though one could easily anticipate some children wanting to take a look at all the dreams in one sitting.
—Reviewed by Dr. Veronica Covington, School of Information, University of Texas, Austin
