shinychick's review
2.0
This reminds me of David Wiesner's wordless books. Great for one-on-one reading, not great for a storytime.
jennybeastie's review
5.0
I think Tao Nyeu may rapidly be becoming my favorite children's book author/illustrator of all time. Looking through the book, my response was to gasp in wonder on more than one occasion. Aptly titled, beautiful.
aneelee's review
4.0
what a wonderfully imaginative and illustrated book. i was caught completely off-guard with this wonderfully imaginative and beautifully illustrated book. our imaginations are something that we feed and i love that the children in this book don't simply drift off to sleep and imagine this bear - they plan and care for the garden that grows him and then, not belonging to them, he flies off into the air in his magical hat. lovely.
moreadsbooks's review
4.0
This book is awesome. Utterly awesome. The drawings are incredible. Every time I see this on the shelf at the library, I have to pull it out & read it, and it always cheers me up.
findbeauty_choosejoy's review
1.0
I don’t care for chaotic dreamscapes and that’s what this wordless picture-book is. The colors only increase the anxiety this book instigates. Hard pass.
tashrow's review
4.0
This wordless fantasy book will carry children away into a dream-like world filled with luscious foliage and flowers, silly monkeys, huge bubbles and flying dolphins. From the very first pages where the two children are planting watermelon seeds and hat seeds, children will know that something special and even strange is about to happen. The story has no real foundation, drifting along from one lovely notion to the next, lingering and then moving on again.
Unlike some dreamlike story books, there is no point at which there is any sense of danger in the story at all. Readers are held in a magical space, guided by a huge white bear from one fascination to the next. Nyeu's illustrations are very strong and bold, with bright colors and beautiful ideas. One of my favorite sections is where the bear blows leaves into the air and they become sea creatures. Dolphins, octopus, seals, schools of small fish float through the air and eventually up into outer space. Her illustrations exude a childlike simplicity, heightened by a real sense of style.
Recommended for a cuddle with a child who has a great imagination and can "read" this wordless book in their own way. It will not work well with a group because of both its intimate nature and lack of text. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
Unlike some dreamlike story books, there is no point at which there is any sense of danger in the story at all. Readers are held in a magical space, guided by a huge white bear from one fascination to the next. Nyeu's illustrations are very strong and bold, with bright colors and beautiful ideas. One of my favorite sections is where the bear blows leaves into the air and they become sea creatures. Dolphins, octopus, seals, schools of small fish float through the air and eventually up into outer space. Her illustrations exude a childlike simplicity, heightened by a real sense of style.
Recommended for a cuddle with a child who has a great imagination and can "read" this wordless book in their own way. It will not work well with a group because of both its intimate nature and lack of text. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
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