Every Dreaming Creature, written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. Little, Brown and Company, Hachette. 2023. $23.99 ages 4 and up

 

"A prowling tiger ... 
until you came, with vibrant shades, 
and woke me from that dream. 

Then there I was. 
A bold performer, changing costumes. 

Then there I was. 
A brave explorer, burrowing below."

This remarkable book begins with a child dreaming of being a 'sleeping salamander'. With turns of the pages, the animal in one dream becomes another. Readers are observers to the changes and of the ways in which nature is connected, one animal to the next.  The alluring mixed-media artwork carries the dream from page to page, transforming it as it moves forward. 

The salamander reaches out to an octopus whose whirling shape dances on the waves, until it awakens from its dream to become an elephant, and so on. Each is placed on the spread within its own ecosystem and shows connections between them. The joy found in these wondrous images invite readers to peaceful sleep at bedtime, to want to know more about the animals as each enters the story, and to encourage a love for all animals in our world.

Such is the beauty for children that they can imagine themselves within the bodies of the ever-changing creatures. In final spreads, the young human narrator/dreamer is shown, inhabiting a world of 'play and wonder' while full of 'funny thoughts and comfort and family'. Only at bedtime does he dream once more of being a salamander. The circle closes; then begins again. 

What a splendid celebration! 
                                                                        

 Caldecott winner Wenzel cultivates senses of empathy and imagination in this appreciation of the ways other creatures experience the world, resulting in a buoyantly reverent celebration of the myriad wonders and complexity of life on Earth. The simple poetry of the narrative creates a glorious conversation starter: Who is the dreamer? Dazzling.