Monday, June 19, 2017

What Kind of Dreamer Are You


Strictly speaking, this is a book targeted at a much much younger age group. But hey, I am drawn to beautifully illustrated books, and who's to say I can't enjoy them.

Once in a while, I buy these happy books, in hard cover. They're not that thick, and not too difficult to keep. The shelves for these books haven't been filled up. Heh. Author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds' 'Happy Dreamer' (2017) is one of those books that I spotted in a Seattle bookstore and bought it immediately for keeps.

The little boy in this book is a dreamer, sharing with us how he dreams, and why he is sometimes sad. He tells us that there're so many different types of dreamers out there, and the best way to be a happy dreamer is "just be you".

I don't think I have happy dreams when I sleep. At least not the candy fluff, popcorn and rainbows. For as far back as I remember, at least for those dreams that could be recalled upon waking, they always have something to do with vampires, zombie apocalypse, fighting monsters, and such. Teeeheeehe. I love them! I could dream in episodes over a week! But it means I get interrupted sleep. Boo. Mostly, my sleep is dreamless.

Sure, a few flips and the book is read in five minutes. The words are minimal, and the concept is simple. But that isn't the point of such a book. It needs to be lingered over and mulled upon. I went back to the cover page, looked at every corner and have a think before turning the page. Ahhh dreams. Childhood dreams and adult dreams. The book even ends in a happy picture of multi-racial children being themselves and exploring their dreams, and infinite possibilities.

We should make time to do this.

No comments: