HOPE IN A JAR

Youngsters strive to achieve their dreams.

Llewellyn, a contemplative white rabbit, starts collecting his dreams in jars, no matter how silly, loud, or quiet they are. After wishing for friends to play with, he encounters fellow hares Veera and Jaxx and introduces them to the joy of saving one’s hopes. Eventually, those small yearnings (“I wish I could see a caterpillar turn into a butterfly”) turn into grand aspirations (“I dream of going to the moon!”); the bunnies collect them en masse in an open wooded area. After a terrible storm hits, their colorful jars are destroyed, and they wonder, “What was the point of dreaming if everything could be lost?” But then they witness one of their hopes becoming a reality in the form of a graceful butterfly flitting away from their sole remaining jar. The friends decide to be grateful for what they have and continue to dream big things while being open to new experiences and the possibility of letting some dreams go. Fans of Marcero’s previous outings with Llewellyn—In a Jar (2020) and Out of a Jar (2022)—will thoroughly enjoy this sweet, affirming tale. Her watercolor, pencil, ink, and digital illustrations are bathed in soothing blues, yellows, purples, and greens while using perspective to give the world, both big and small, a sense of profundity from any angle.

A gentle look at the importance of always keeping hope alive.