Name of Book: Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom, and Wishes

Author: Susan Bosak

Illustrators: Multiple Illustrators

Publisher: TCP Press

ISBN: 9781896232041

Audience: Written for grades 9 – 12

Summary: One of the most beautiful books that I’ve every seen.  The illustrations are breathtaking and lend a depth of character to the book that could inspire very meaningful conversations between children, their parents and their grandparents. It would also make a great book to use with older adults to talk about their lives in retrospect and their hopes for the future, given where they are in their life’s journey.  The author of the book shares about life with all of its hopes for the future, moments of despair, and the constant need for courage to press forward and to dream big.

Literary elements at work in the story: Dream is a mixture of prose, quotes, concepts and images that will inspire childlike imagination in readers of all ages.  Along with the use of poetic text, the author includes words of wisdom from some of the world’s greatest philosophers, innovators, and leaders. The author also chose to use 15 different illustrators for the book which provided for a vast array of perspective to be displayed.  In addition to the 40 page picture book, a resource page and interactive website offers opportunities for further discussion and activities centered on the prose and illustrations of the book.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic ability:  Dream would be an appropriate book for a variety of audiences from teens to adults. The books messages are especially appropriate for people who are taking on a new adventure in life’s journey, recovering from illness or injury, moving to new places, retiring or rethinking their lives, etc.  It would also make an excellent resource for multi-generational dialogue in both small group and family settings.

Theological conversation partners: Although there are no explicit theological connections in the book, many connections can be made to Christian virtues and human emotions like; anticipation, faith, hope, fear and resolve.

Faith Talk Questions:

1.    What are some of your biggest dreams?

2.    What are some of your greatest fears about reaching your dreams?

3.    If you had to describe your life by a color, what color would it be right now?  Why?

4.    Do you think that not achieving your dreams is the same thing as failure? Why or Why not?

5.    Draw a picture that incorporates your current color with your current dreams.  Be prepared to share.

Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom, and Wishes by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.