What Do You Dream?

By Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

A child dreams of flowers, flowers dream of butterflies, and butterflies dream as well in a serene, rhythmic bedtime story that circles back to a satisfying ending. Child, tell me, of what do you dream? I dream of a flower in a sweet green meadow. Flower, tell me, of what do you dream? I dream of a butterfly with petal-soft wings. . . . Do you ever dream of a billowing cloud? Golden sun on a meadow? A tree that hugs the sky? In this simple, circular story, a little girl and her dog revisit their day outdoors as they dream their way back to a morning full of bright possibility. Vibrant paintings complement a soothing celebration of the natural world - and our natural place within it.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076361338X
• ISBN13: 9780763613389
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Candlewick
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.4" x 10.5"
• Age Range: 3 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Writing About the Life Around Us

Preschoolers do dream, and this book is a lovely choice for stimulating them to imagine what dreams might belong to trees, butterflies, and the nature around us. The words are both simple and rich. The illustrations appeal to young children and encourage them to contemplate making their own books about their own dreams; an activity we are carrying out in my preschool class.

Imagination begins...

What do you dream? This story presents a full circle of dreams, personifying the dreamlike qualities of living things and other natural elements found in the magical world outdoors. Within these pages imagination begins, taking a young girl and her dog on a journey through the natural world as the two spend a day together outdoors. They dream their way from one creative possibility to the next. At last they return to the child's room at the end of the day, completing the circle of dreams. The moon is dreaming of the child as she sleeps, and the child is imagining the beginning of another day full of promise and endless opportunity. This simply written story holds a very universal theme that brings all people together to relate to its example. The child in this story represents a variety of children and adults alike, suggesting that everyone wonders "what might be" or "what could be" in a world offering limitless possibility. Imagery plays a vital role in this story, as the author describes details of setting from a child's perspective, encouraging readers to experience in their mind the variety of sights, sounds, and even smells created within this magical atmosphere. The vibrant acrylic paintings lend themselves beautifully to the serene, yet celebrative tone of the story, as they produce images with wispy dreamlike qualities while also incorporating a variety of vibrant colors, instantly bringing the illustrations and the story to life. This story is one that is not only creatively written, but artistically illustrated as well, inspiring all who turn its pages to open up their minds, dream a little bigger, and allow this book to carry readers away from their everyday lives. This book's cover alone is one that demands attention and encourages its story to be told! I would highly recommend this delightful fantasy as one to be shared with children as a read-aloud, or with its simple text, to be read independently by readers of all ages.