WHEN CATS DREAM
by Dav Pilkey & illustrated by Dav Pilkey
An imaginative exploration of the world of dream. ``When cats are awake, all the world is the same''—predictable and, in neatly framed black and white, realistic. When puss goes to sleep (in Whistler's mother's lap), the illustrations bloom into full color and expand to fill pages of surreal activity echoing the fantasies of such great voyagers in the dream world as Henri Rousseau and (Pilkey's apparent favorite) Chagall. After waking for a quick snack, it's off to sleep again in another lap—Mona Lisa's. Pilkey's simple text suggests the dream adventures' liberating quality, splendidly realized in his glowing, beautifully designed paintings; handsome in themselves, they also make a unique introduction to modern art's ideas and images. (Picture book. 4-8)