Dream Quilt [Hardcover]

Amy Zerner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1995

A patchwork masterpiece illustrates the exciting adventures of a boy and his cat who journey nightly to the many squares of a magic quilt.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Written and illustrated by a mother-and-daughter team, this tale of a magical quilt that unleashes a series of dream adventures doesn't quite hit the mark. Alex, spending a week with a great-aunt, sleeps beneath the quilt, which every night dispatches him into a different fantasy. Princesses, dragons, and animals and insects that talk figure prominently; settings include a world beneath the sea and a medieval play. The text, apparently aiming for an old-fashioned storybook feel, is both overlong and overwritten ("Alex stared at her, round-eyed, but he remembered the young princess and a feeling of bravery swelled his chest"), and the various episodes consequently lose momentum. Amy Zerner's imaginative collages fare better; resembling lush, Victorian valentines, they may appeal to fans of Michael Hague. Previous works by the Zerners include Scheherazade's Cat and Zen ABC. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4?Beginning with a richly detailed cover depicting a Victorian-style crazy quilt, this mother-daughter collaboration is a visual treat. The writing is uneven, though, with an overuse of vague adverbs such as "slightly" and "rather." The Zerners tell the story of young Alex's visit to great-aunt Rachel's house by the sea and of his nightly dreams that are inspired by the family quilt under which he sleeps. Accompanied by a dragon and a cat, the boy encounters spiders, gnomes, evil weasels, and, of course, princesses. As the train taking him to his aunt's house passes windmills, and as he imagines it as "...a great animal puffing along, filling the air with smoke and sparks," readers may conclude that the story takes place much earlier in this century; a later mention of milk cartons, however, confuses the issue. The story line echoes Katharine Pyle's Counterpane Fairy (Dutton, 1928; o.p.), in which a fairy transports a sick child to fantastic adventures inspired by a patchwork quilt. The generously sized pages are sprinkled with small, jewellike collages and illustrations; full-page renditions of sections of the quilt are scattered throughout; and deep-blue chapter divisions feature smiling moons and suns. The slow pace and old-fashioned language will not engage children, though the book may intrigue nostalgic adults.?Ruth S. Vose, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; 1st edition (February 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804819998
• ISBN-13: 978-0804819992
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,375,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Amy Zerner is one of the leading collage artists in the world. She uses an appliqued palette of found materials, vintage textiles and amulets to make her worlds of wonder rich with layers of meaning and imagination.

For thirty years she has used her prodigious talent to create more than a thousand works of art, all of which embody and convey the inspiration and healing power she has experienced through her study and personal application of ancient sacred teachings.

Her pioneering and unique artistic style was recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts with a major fellowship in the category of Painting.

Her collages appear throughout the forty-five best-selling books, including The Enchanted Tarot, The Tarot Discovery Kit, Chakra Meditation Kit,The Truth Fairy, and The Healing Deck all of which she has co-created with her author husband, Monte Farber, with over two million copies in print around the world in fourteen languages.

Her one-of-a-kind Spiritual Couture jackets can be seen at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City and at select Neiman Marcus stores. Her work is in the collections of numerous corporations and prominent individuals , including Elizabeth Taylor, Patti LaBelle, Oprah, Martha Stewart, Marianne Williamson and Michael J. Fox.

Their popular website is www.TheEnchantedWorld.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every child deserves a dream quilt., March 2, 2002

By 

Britt Arnhild Lindland (Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dream Quilt (Hardcover)

Alex is to spend a week with his Great Aunt Rachel. She lives far away from the urban life where Alex has spent his whole life, but when he leaves his home his mother assures him that he will have a great time with aunt Rachel. Alex is not so sure though. How will it be to spend a whole week there, far away from the life he knows.

The first night comes, after a quite good day, a day where he has done alot of fun things with auntie, though he did not climb the tree outside his bedroom window when Rachel suggested it, climbing a tree was something he had never tried before. He is afraid he will not be able to sleep, but Rachel gives him a quilt that has travelled around the world with his great- greatgrandfather, who was a captain, may be even a pirate.

The quilt is a dream quilt, and Alex has the most adventurous dreams through the seven nights he spends in aunt Rachel's house. From being the quiet, scared little boy that arrived, he grows to a boy with much more belief in himself. With the help of the dream quilt he goes through several adventures, and discovers the strength in himself. And through his days, aunt Rachel is there to back him up, to believe in him, to have time for him.

Every child should have a grown up like aunt Rachel, where they can be given courage to believe in themselves. To discover that they have the strength to manage.

The books is beautifully written by Jessie Spice Zerner, and is filled with the collage illustrations of Amy Zerner. A masterpiece by mother and daughter. ...

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dream Quilt, April 27, 2001

By 

Sandra Lee (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dream Quilt (Hardcover)

This is a delightful book that should be in every child's collection as well as collections of all people who love and nurish children. The little boy has bad dreams at night until his mother shares with him a quilt that her mother made her when she was small. Mother explains how the pictures on the quilt will help him focus on the good things. Mother gives him a "stamp" - kiss- to send him on his way. When grandmother offers to make him a quilt like it and must take it with her for a short period of time, his mother explains that it isn't actually the quilt that protects him, but God who loves and protects him. Reminding him of God sending Noah a rainbow as a promise of His love, Mother gives him a kiss and sends him to rainbow land. It is a lovely comforting book.