MY DREAMS

At night, when all is calm and quiet, a child dreams all sorts of adventures before coming home to dream some more.

A red-cheeked white child (literally white) stars in this French import. It is hard to know, though, who the intended audience is. The board-book format and high-contrast illustrations in mostly black and white with a touch of red or sparkly silver point toward babies and toddlers. But the imaginative and whimsical text—“Sometimes I dream that I am playing on a giant slide… / …while my friend plays hide-and-seek in a field of giant poppies” or “When it is time, I call to a whale and ride the waves all the way home… / …where it is calm and quiet, and I can dream a little more”—implies a slightly older audience. On each double-page spread there are elements that are either slightly depressed or raised; these are not easily seen but must instead be felt, adding a nice tactile experience. Unfortunately, the book has also incorporated an unnecessary gimmick: “glow-in-the-dark surprises!” These will probably provide more frustration than fun, as each page needs to be exposed to the light for several minutes before it can glow. Few young children will have that kind of patience.

Usually spot-on, this time Deneux and his collaborator have missed the mark