First sentence: To fling my arms wide/ In some place of the sun,/ To whirl and to dance/ Till the white day is done./ Then rest at cool evening/ Beneath a tall tree/ While night comes on gently,/ Dark like me--That is my dream!
Premise/plot: That is My Dream is a picture book poem. The poem is Langston Hughes' Dream Variation which was originally published in 1926 in his first poetry collection. The illustrator has placed the poem within the context of the segregated south in the 1950s. The first half reflects the way things are/were--as seen from a young boy's perspective--and the second half reflects his dream: how he wants things to be.
My thoughts: That Is My Dream is a lovely picture book. (Last year I reviewed Langston Hughes' The Dream Keeper and Other Poems.) Hughes' poem is beautiful. The illustrations are absolutely stunning. I loved, loved, loved, LOVED the illustrations. Yes, the text is wonderful. But the illustrations convey just as much--if not a tiny bit more--than the text. Together they make for a compelling, thought-provoking read. I think it would pair well with Patricia McKissack's Goin' Someplace Special.
Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10
© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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