There are a couple of different ways I look at and rate children’s picture books. Is it pretty to look at?  Is the story simple and yet captivating for the child?  Is there an important message for the child? What is the re-readability (will children want to have it read over and over and perhaps more importantly – will parents mind reading it again and again [and if you don’t think that’s important then you’ve never hidden a book away that you just don’t want to read again!]).

Dream Big, as the title suggests, is about not limiting your dreams.  You can be whatever you want to be. And perhaps there’s no better lesson for a child.  Let’s let them know early on that the sky’s the limit.

Is the story simple and captivating for a child.  Most definitely yes.  The book uses repetition to help build interest and clarity in the story.  Repetition is one of the key components for writing a children’s book.  And the words are simple, making it easy for the youngest of children to listen and grow into the book.

The art is colorful and bright.  The style is not my personal favorite.  It borders on, but falls short of realism.  It is not ‘real’ in the sense of Chris van Allsburg or Jan Brett, but it’s also not uniquely stylized either.  These are realistic animals with a slightly anthropomorphized appearance in a slightly flat art scheme.

The message that is being shared here in the story is … well … a little confusing at best. On the surface, it’s a great message – dream big because you can be whatever you want to be.  But the underlying message is less robust.  A caterpillar wants to be able to fly.  A tadpole wants to be able to jump. A young bird wants to be beautiful.  Each gets laughed at by the baboon and each sees his/her wish come true.  The caterpillar becomes a butterfly.  The tadpole becomes a frog.  The young bird becomes a pretty pink flamingo.

First, the dreams of these critters (other than the caterpillar) don’t seem to be too far out there. To jump?  To be pretty?  Can we not exercise our brains just a little more and wish a littler harder for something even more unique?  But this is for the youngest of children who don’t have much life experience, so that’s okay.

But how about wishing for something that can happen with effort to make the dreams come true?  Is simply wishing enough? It appears to be so.  And what’s more, these creatures only wish for something that is going to occur to them whether they wish for it or not. Even though the sky lights up in this book, proclaiming through the stars that “You can do anything” and “you can have anything” that’s not the message we’re really getting (even though it’s a good message!).  We’re getting the message that ‘you’re going to change as you grow’ (which is okay, too).

So how about the re-reading factor?  The language is simple but it struggles to find a rhythm.  Sometimes it feels like it’s trying so hard to rhyme and when I read it I’m wanting to build in to a nice cadence, but then something trips me up.  An added sentence to help the story but not the out-loud reading of the story.  I could re-read this to young ones on more than one occasion (though not easily), but once they start asking questions about the animals changing I think it would be time to stop.

Looking for a good book? Dream Big by Kat Kronenberg does itself dream big with a hefty, important message for children, but it just doesn’t completely satisfy.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Dream Big

author: Kat Kronenberg

artist: Kat Kronenberg

publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press

ISBN: 1626343470

hardcover, 48 pages

When I review or consider a children’s book, there are three things I look at: 1) How is the art?  2) How is the story? 3) What is the likelihood of re-reading the book?  Madeline Finn and the Library Dog is a success on every level.

Madeline Finn is a young girl who doesn’t like to read because she’s still struggling to understand words.  Even though her teachers tell her to sound them out, she hears the other kids in the class snickering at her struggles.  So when she is invited to go to the library, she can’t think of anything worse!  But the library has a special room, full of dogs, who enjoy being read to and who don’t care if it takes a while to get the words, or even if the words are right.  But on a return visit to the library ‘her’ dog isn’t there.  Will this stop her new interest in reading?

This is really an incredibly beautiful little story that parents won’t mind reading it again and again.  And they will have to.  The art is as simple and as beautiful as the story and children will enjoy looking at the pictures and hearing this book and will request it over and over.

The down side to this book?  Every child who hears/reads this book will want their library to have a room full of library dogs.

Looking for a good book?  Madeline Finn and the Library Dog, by Lisa Papp, is so beautiful it MUST be on your reading/shopping list if you have small children at home, or know someone who does.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Madeline Finn and the Library Dog

author: Lisa Papp

artist: Lisa Papp

publisher: Peachtree Publishers

ISBN: 1561459100

hardcover, 32 pages