Appelemando's Dreams (Reading Rainbow Feature Selection) [Paperback]

Patricia Polacco (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Reading Rainbow Feature Selection

Because he spends his time dreaming, the villagers are convinced that Appelemando will never amount to much but in time his dreams change the village and all the people in it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A group of children stuck in the drabbest of villages share a secret: when their friend Appelemando dreams, they can actually see brightly colored, amazing objects float out of the top of his head. Soon they discover that the images stick to anything moist, and disaster strikes one rainy day when--in a place that frowns on nonconformity--the boy's kaleidoscopic dreams "hold fast to the walls and storefronts of the town." To escape the villagers' ire Appelemando and his friends run off into the woods and are lost, but in the end, his dreams save the day. The book's message is somewhat similar to that of Leo Lionni's Frederick --the valuable role of dreamers--but Polacco's ( Thunder Cake ; Rechenka's Eggs ) prose lacks Lionni's subtlety ("Never again would they question the importance of dreams"). As an artist, however, she's as on target as always. The contrast between the dingy village and villagers, rendered in subdued tones of gray, brown and black, and the vivid hues of Appelemando's phantasms makes for an arresting visual juxtaposition and provides Polacco's fertile imagination with plenty of room. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3 --Polacco's story shares some elements of both folktale and allegory. Appelemando lives in a very drab, uninteresting village. For him, dreaming is a way of life. Whenever the boy dreams, his four friends can actually see them. They drift up from the top of his head in paintbox colors and, at one point, literally change their somber world--Appelemando's dreams stick to the wet walls of the village like decals. The warm relationship among the children is delightful--they recognize their need for his dreams as much as his need to have them. The dour villagers, however, see things differently--until the day his vivid imaginings alert them to their lost children. As a result they no longer question the importance of the imagination. The style of these pencil and watercolor drawings is exuberant and full of vitality. The text of the story nests cozily in each drawing so that words and pictures have an unusual unity. With its perfect melding of art and narration, it's a dream come true. --Anna Biagioni Hart, Martha Washington Library, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (May 20, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698115902
• ISBN-13: 978-0698115903
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.4 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #883,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( P ) > Polacco, Patricia

More About the Author

Born Patricia Ann Barber in Lansing, Michigan, to parents of Russian and Ukrainian descent on one side and Irish on the other, Patricia Polacco grew up in both California and Michigan. Her school year was spent in Oakland, California, and summers in her beloved Michigan. She describes her family members as marvelous storytellers. "My fondest memories are of sitting around a stove or open fire, eating apples and popping corn while listening to the old ones tell glorious stories about their homeland and the past. We are tenacious traditionalists and sentimentalists.... With each retelling our stories gain a little more Umph!"Studying in the United States and Australia, Patricia Polacco has earned an M.F.A. and a Ph. D. in art history, specializing in Russian and Greek painting, and iconographic history. She is a museum consultant on the restoration of icons. As a participant in many citizen exchange programs for writers and illustrators, Patricia Polacco has traveled extensively in Russia as well as other former Soviet republics. She continues to support programs that encourage Russo-American friendships and understanding. She is also deeply involved in inner-city projects here in the U.S. that promote the peaceful resolution of conflict and encourage art and literacy programs.The mother of a grown son and a daughter, Patricia Polacco currently resides in Michigan, where she has a glorious old farm that was built during the time of Lincoln.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2* Painting the Town, June 30, 2004

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Appelemando's Dreams (Hardcover)

Appelemando lives in a town so dreary that he likes to daydream. But unlike other children, his dreams spill out of his head in bright colors, coloring the drab landscape around him. Furthermore, his young friends accidentally discover that wet objects will hold these color daydreams. However, on a rainy day, his dreams literally paint the town red, and blue, and yellow, and green.

Up to this point, the story is exciting and the illustrations, richly shaded in a slight change from Polacco's more typical style, accurately portray both the drab and the bright. But halfway through, the story turns to a lost children motif, and, somewhat predictably, Appelemando's ability to color the sky leads to their rescue. There's a nice message here about having friends who believe in you and the importance of dreaming, but both the narrative and the pictures are a bit too uninspired for someone of Polacco's enormous talent. The dream that rescues the wanderers is bright enough, but not varied enough.... just designs that spell out "Help Us." and more pictures of animals and smallish abstract shapes. A 5 for any other author, but relative to Polacco's other book, this merits only a 4. Take a look at "Casey at the Bat," "Picnic at Mudsock Meadow," "Thunder Cake," the `Babushka' series, and many others to get a truer picture of Polacco's magnificence.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully appealing to the eye and ear!, December 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Appelemando's Dreams (Hardcover)

Patricia Polacco caputres the desire of every child to be accepted for who she/he is regardless of their abilities. Once again, the child with a 'difference'who doesn't seem to fit into the society he/she lives in, is supported in a positive way.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I really liked it!, May 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Applemondo's Dreams (Hardcover)

I saw this book displyed on Reading Rainbow, Actress Michael Learned read it, Appelemondo creates good things in his dreams, Just what a little boy would dream of. You can that the character really loves fantasy land's. It was a very nice book.