Review by Booklist Review
Written for Clayton's newborn son and self-published in 2008 and subsequently hyped by Hollywood trendsetters this exuberant picture book is getting its first wide-scale exposure. With a definite Seussian slant, Clayton's repeated refrains to dream big counterpoint the amazingness of kid imaginations (where rocket-powered unicorns rub elbows with teeny tiny trumpet players / training pet raccoons ) with the drabness of adults who lay awake at night / wishing for a car / not one that runs on jellybeans . . . / but one that's reg-u-lar. Though it doesn't go in any particularly new directions, it's an uncomplicated sentiment and one that probably can't be stressed enough. The real treat is Clayton's artwork, which has a kookily offbeat, abundantly cheerful feel that may inspire adult readers as much as their young listeners. In fact, while this is fine for young children, like Oh, the Places You'll Go! (1990), it may well find a happier home as an inspirational nudge for kids of all ages to keep thinking big and bold and weird.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-This exuberantly written and illustrated book about dreaming big was originally self-published. Although it is longer than the usual picture book, the sparely written, well-cadenced, rhyming text lends itself effortlessly to an engaging read-aloud. ("Then once you've got that dream/in mind please dream a million more/and not a million quiet dreams/a million dreams that ROAR.") Quirky, finely detailed full-color pen-and-ink illustrations depict "candy cane machines," "magic watermelon boats," "dancing wild animals with diamond-coated wings," and a host of other fantastically fun and silly imaginings. The large, shadowed font adds texture, emphasis, and pizzazz to the visually diverse spreads. Not only is this joyful offering a surefire read-aloud hit, but it will equally engage young children singly or for lapsits as they pore over the entertaining minutiae in the artwork.-Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
An awesomely idealistic yet visually exhausting book. "There are places in the world / where people do not dream... / of rocket-powered unicorns / and candy cane machines," it begins. This pro-dreaming, anti-bourgeois manifesto is filled with surrealistic art featuring watermelon boats, a train with a giant birthday-cake car, and other motifs reminiscent of the Beatles film Yellow Submarine. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
(Picture book. 6-8, adult)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
