Imagine a Day (Byron Preiss Book) [Hardcover]

Sarah L. Thomson (Author), Rob Gonsalves (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 2005 | Age Level: 4 and up | Series: Byron Preiss Book

Imagine a day when your swing swings you higher than the highest treetops. Imagine a day when you can ride your bike up a path of falling leaves into the very tree they are falling from. Imagine a day when you release a handful of blue balloons into a cloudy, gray sky to create a postcard-perfect day. Imagine a day when the ordinary becomes the extraordinary...a day when anything is possible.

Imagine a Day is the companion book to the critically acclaimed Imagine a Night, which School Library Journal declared "a fascinating foray into the imagination." Renowned Canadian artist Rob Gonsalves once again stretches the limits of visual exploration with his breathtaking paintings and encourages parents and children alike to look beyond the limits of the everyday world and imagine.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6–Gonsalves awakens young readers from the twilight fantasy of Imagine a Night (S & S, 2003) and invites them to visit his evocative dreamscapes in broad daylight. The "wow" factor in every image is high, though some of the acrylic paintings pack more of a conceptual punch than others. The illustration that accompanies "imagine a day…/…when your house enfolds you/like a nest,/rocking gently/in the autumn wind" is definitely pretty neat. But "imagine a day…/…when you forget how to fall" is more deeply powerful, insightful, and visually demanding. The dust jacket copy indicates that Gonsalves's influences include such surrealist masters as Varo and Magritte, but picture-book aficionados–children included–are likely to associate these sophisticated, sensitive acrylics with other kid-friendly art by the likes of Anthony Browne and Chris Van Allsburg. Every image, from first to last, gives viewers plenty to ponder in their quieter moments, and older readers with artistic sensibilities will be as inspired as their younger siblings. Like Gonsalves's art, this riveting, memorable book works on many levels.–Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-6. In a companion to Imagine a Night (2003), Gonsalves offers a new series of remarkable paintings that fool the eye in transparent yet intriguing ways. Each double-page spread presents a large picture and Thomson's brief text, such as "imagine a day . . . when you can dive down through branches or swim up to the sun." In this case, the acrylic painting depicts a scene in which a large tree is clearly reflected in the calm waters of a river or a lake. Three children climb out of the boat and along the reflection of the tree branches, toward the shore. In another painting, children walk along a picket fence, which almost imperceptibly turns into a city skyline that features the Chrysler Building. The text, though often lyrical, adds less to the book than the detailed pictures, which will stimulate wonder and imagination. An intriguing introduction to the surreal in art, this large-format book will fascinate children and adults with its realistic depiction of logical impossibilities. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (January 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689852193
• ISBN-13: 978-0689852190
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 11.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,664 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Mystery & Wonders

More About the Author

Sarah L. Thomson is the author of Stars and Stripes: The Story of the American Flag, a Nebraska Golden Sower Award finalist; all the Wildlife Conservation Society I Can Read Books, including Amazing Tigers!, winner of an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award; and What Lincoln Said, written with "admirable simplicity" (ALA Booklist). Sarah lives in Portland, Maine.