Sea of Dreams [Hardcover]

Dennis Nolan (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 25, 2011 | Age Range: 3 - 7 years

On a beautiful sunlit beach, a girl builds a magnificent sandcastle. As night falls the girl heads for home. Waves move ever closer to the castle, threatening its survival. Suddenly, in one of its windows, a light comes on . . .

 

Sea of Dreams is a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Picture Books title for 2011.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Kids drawn to the mystical minieature possibilities of the Borrower-esque in dollhouses and such will immediately appreciate the possibilities here.” --BCCB

 

“Children will love to pore over the illustrations, compare the two castles, the night skies, and the two views of the rocky cove, and wonder whether the new castle will withstand the night’s waves.”--School Library Journal

 

"One thing’s certain: It's magic.” --Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

 

“Nolan’s enchanting artwork creates a gorgeous, wordless nautical fantasy infused with the thrill of life-or-death adventure.” --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

 

"In an ode to the beauty and mystery of the sea through imaginative storytelling and stunning art, Nolan allows readers to feel as if they are experiencing this dream-world firsthand.” --Horn Book Magazine

About the Author

Dennis Nolan is the author and illustrator of Dinosaur Dream, a Golden Kite Honor Book selection, Sea of Dreams, The Castle Builder, and Wolf Child, as well as the illustrator of many award-winning books including The Sword in the Stone, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Skywriter, the latter for Roaring Brook Press. He lives in Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (October 25, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596434708
• ISBN-13: 978-1596434707
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 11.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #456,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting March 23, 2012

By sbrundagehale

Format:Hardcover

I am a kindergarten teacher and I have read this book (at the request of my students) four times in the last week. It is a wonderful, wonderful book. The art work is superb - it needs a Caldecott medal on its cover. In spite of the fact that I am retiring in less than three months, I am ordering two copies of Sea of Dreams; one is for myself and the other is for my 49 year old daughter. This book has also been a great springboard for class discussions. "Did the seagull help them?" "Who lit the light in the second castle?" "The little girl built the second castle taller. Why didn't she move it farther back from the water's edge?" What a beguiling book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A magical experience February 9, 2012

By Z Hayes HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

My first grader has an active imagination and is always writing stories and making up creative play stories with her dolls/ fairies/ toys. When I suggested we pick some picture books at the library, she was initially reluctant because she is currently keen on reading chapter books such as the The Doll People Collection: The Doll People, The Meanest Doll in the World. She changed her mind when she saw the attractive cover on Sea of Dreams.

The book has no written story or text within. Instead, there are a series of illustrations on each page that enable the reader to make up one's own story which is what we did. My daughter and I took turns making up a story for each picture, with the rule that our story needed to flow so that it would make sense. Little did we realize the treat and surprise we were both in for! The illustration starts off innocently enough with a young girl playing on the beach and building a sandcastle. But as we turned the pages, that sandcastle revealed a magical surprise that took us both into a realm of fantasy and magical adventure, and let our imaginations conjure an equally fantastical storyline! This is a book to be treasured, along the lines of Chris Van Allsburg's The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (Portfolio Edition).

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book April 4, 2013

By Sabrina

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

We checked this book out at our local library and loved it so much we purchased it for our home library. The illustrations are gorgeous and the absence of words are a wonderful opportunity to make up your own stories with your child.