Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Synopsis
Rhyming text imagines the fanciful dreams of animals on frigid nights in the far north, from a shaggy musk ox going to the beauty salon to a ballet-dancing walrus.
Kathryn Erskine - Children's Literature
This picture book for the very young introduces Northland creatures imagining what their wildest dreams might be as they bed down for the night. Such an approach, contrasting the animals' realistic last waking moments with their wild and silly dreams, is sure to delight young children as they get ready for happy, silly dreams themselves. They will laugh at the skiing lynx, the musk ox at the beauty parlor, the loon rock star, and the walrus in her frilly pink tutu. Occasionally the rhyme is contrived, such as "nice bed of ice in the sea" rhyming with "zigzagging stripes and paisley," or the meter is off, such as "A caribou's cozy on cold winter nights after nibbling on lichen and moss," followed by, "You know that he's dreaming about plates of spaghetti covered with dark chocolate sauce." Still, these nuances are unlikely to bother youngsters to whom the book is read. The illustrations are warm, sweet, and engaging, and the book ends with a mother tucking in her young child and giving assurances that sleep will bring wondrous surprises. 2004, Alaska Northwest Books/Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company, Ages 3 to 6.