One of my favorite books that I’ve ever reviewed was a beautiful story by Matthew Cordell called Wish. It focused on two elephants and how much they wished for a child, their wish coming true at the end. In that same spirit comes Dream, a closely related follow up about a family of apes.
In this book, the parents already have a child and are putting him or her to bed, watching them sleep. It goes on to talk about the dreams the parents have for their child and the things he or she could do as they get older. But in the end, they wistfully watch their infant snoring, wondering what the baby’s dreams are going to be.
Dream is just as beautiful as Wish and is strongly recommended to fans of the first book. In Cordell’s pages, parents will find a story that is just as much for them as it is for their kids, if not more so. If you’re looking for a meaningful and inexpensive baby shower gift, both books would make fine selections to the library of new parents.
Cordell’s art is charming and the Wish confetti returns in many of these pages. It was hard for me to not tear up when reading Wish and while I found Dream less capable of turning on the water works, it is not without strong, resonating emotions that perfectly capture what it’s like to yearn for a child or want what’s best for their future.
Dream is right at home at Disney Press, with dreaming and wishing both key elements of the Disney zeitgeist. Both of these books earn my highest recommendation to parents looking to add to their storytime routine and both would be welcome additions to the library of any new parents or parents-to-be. I wasn’t expecting a follow up to Wish, but I couldn’t be happier that Dream is here.