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PRESCHOOL
Tanaka, Yoko

Dandelion's Dream

40 pp. | Candlewick | February, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-5362-0453-7 $16.99
(2) PS In the darkness, in a field dotted with fully blooming yellow dandelions and white ones that have gone to seed, a tight bud of a dandelion stands upright. In the next spread, the dandelion has popped open, with an exuberantly bright yellow color compared with the others. The following spread shows the flower now a joyful lion, arms outspread and face looking thrilled--the yellow petals form a mane, and a golden tip of a tail. The wordless story continues with the dande-lion running toward and riding on a train, then on the back of a sheep. Tanaka moves the story along and adds depth to particular moments through comics-style panels alternating with expansive full-page illustrations and double-page spreads. After a series of adventures, including a trip to the big city (where our protagonist takes in a movie complete with popcorn), the dandelion returns home to its field, now dotted with mostly white dandelions. For two spreads, our dandelion is seen from the back, making the exact moment of transformation from flower to seed difficult to pinpoint, but its head becomes snowy white, echoed in the night sky by the moon. After a page-turn, its seeds fly up into the sky, where they form the shape of a lion. Tanaka sticks with limited colors, using charcoal to create dark, soft spaces, and a digital yellow that conveys the vibrancy of a short, memorable life. Children often particularly enjoy dandelions in both forms, and this circle-of-life story will resonate with them.
Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

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