The Dream Stair - Hardcover

James, Betsy; Watson, Richard Jesse

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060227877 ISBN 13: 9780060227876

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 1990

Synopsis

A young child's night is filled with wonderful experiences traveling up and down the dream staircase.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2-- Using the bright colors of Mexican folk art, this book portrays the night dreaming of a girl whose grandmother tucks her in, telling her to "Go up the stair,/ go down the stair,/ and tell me all about it/ in the morning." In her dream, the serene Hispanic girl carries a candle up the stairs to a sunny dreamscape full of floating images and down the stairs to a dark and cozy cellar room. Energetic pictures re-create the bizarre nature of some dreams where real and unreal appear together: flying birds resemble Oaxacan black pottery; a procession from a mission includes native American and folk figures, Santa Claus, and the little girl herself; balloons, stars, and conversational balloons dot the land; and some objects are oversized while others are drawn to the girl's scale. Everywhere, images of the stairs remind readers of the dream. James' free verse text is just right for floating readers along until the girl returns to wake up in her very own room with her grandmother's candle always lit, "safe in the dark,/ safe in her heart." A lit candle works well as a metaphor for the grandmother's love, but is dangerous if literally taken to bed by children. Still, this is a dazzling addition to the bedtime books and, like Bang's Ten, Nine, Eight (Greenwillow, 1983), a valuable addition to multicultural booklists. --Susan Hepler, Alexandria City Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

An Hispanic grandmother lovingly tucks her granddaughter into bed saying, "This candle keeps you / safe in the dark, / safe in my heart. / and tell me all about it / in the morning." James's exploration of the child's dream world unfolds--an intriguing, nonthreatening journey. The girl "leaves herself sleeping" and in her dreams travels up "past clouds, past angels" to an attic room until "the moon rolls over" and she descends "past furnaces, past roots, past rivers running in the dark" to the safety and warmth of the cellar. As she ascends the stairs, whimsically chosen objects float around her--an angel in striped socks, transparent petticoats, balloons, even Abraham Lincoln in soccer shoes--and she seems untroubled by the dark images of the cellar room where fossilized fish adorn murky, cave-like walls. Offering a feast of cleverly interwoven images, Watson's fantasy pastiche is colorful and cheerfully surrealistic. Ages 5 - 7.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0060227877
• ISBN 13: 9780060227876
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Watson Richard J.