Customer Reviews

The Dreamer

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I never understood why we term these stories "creation myths" - since to those who believe, it's not a myth. And those who don't believe might be wrong! But, anyway, this would be a good story to add to a unit on tales of the creation of the world, since it deals with the Christian seven days of creation. The word God isn't mentioned until the final page, the action centers around a young artist and dreamer who is inspired to create the beautiful things he sees in his mind. He works slowly, and takes his time, finding joy in the beauty around him. At the end, he chooses to make some people he can share all his work with, someone he can really talk to. And they make children, and those children make more children, and so on. This is beautifully illustrated and a very quiet calm book which would inspire any child to feel loved.

This was one of the first books I was "wowed" by when I began doing children's programming about five years ago. The story is a beautiful creation story, explaining how the world and all the wonders in it came to be. But the art work is spectacular! Moser's illustrations and Rylant's words make for an unbeatable combination. A definite addition to any Church library, but also for anyone who wishes to share the beauty of the Christian creation story with children.

A soothing tale of creation from a perspective even a two year old can understand.

By saying this is the Creation story "lite" I don't mean it's bad. This is a great addition to the library, which is why I gave it five stars. But readers should be aware it is not the orthodox story-- you can tell it has been watered down. Still, in today's vast landscape of Leftism, this a rare treat-- very similar to William Steig's "Yellow and Pink."

Rylant portrays God as a shy artist who begins Creation with an idea, then stars/heavens, then the earth, then water, grass/trees, birds/fish, animals, then mankind. She gets the Genesis 1 order a little mixed up, as you can see, and stays away from Adam and Eve or anything that would be controversial; indeed this is a creation account for those who are not looking for a rehash of Genesis 1. But it is not contradictory to the biblical text in any way. It is mostly concerned with the imagination of God, His posture as artist and designer, and gentle/modest character. It is trying to give the child a glimpse into God's possible thoughts as a Creator. It is a literary study in point of view, not dogma. It should be seen in this context.

It is a written in a way that will capture childrens' minds, with very short and easy to understand sentences, just a couple per page. Definitely the best part are the huge lifelike illustrations, which are 100% fabulous and capture the tone of the book. If you have an artsy child, or daydreamer-type, they will especially like this book. My seven yr old son who loves to do art all day, was enthralled with this book, probably because he could relate to the creation process Rylant described... God making stars and getting so wrapped up with it, that soon He was surrounded by the heavens, for example.

And as long as you are okay with a sort of human-like portrayal of God, with hands (but no body/face), and no hint of Calvinist power and glory, you will appreciate the book. It comes across as slightly mystical, but the kind of thing that will stick in a child's mind for a long time and make a loving impression of their Creator.

Rylant names God as "God" on the last page, which is climactic. She also has a nice page with faces from all races on the second-to-last page, if you are looking for that kind of thing.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. The text is simple and poignant. I like giving it as a gift, as it touches on spirituality without preaching.