Luxurious, sherbet-colored artwork carries this debut from author-artist You Byun about a dream of friendship come true.
Melody, in blonde pigtails, has "a very special friend... in her dreams": a giant white cat sporting a cherry-red bow tie that matches her jumper and boots. She rides him through the skies, and he surprises her with "lovely things," such as a rocking horse and a hat filled with stars. They play hide-and-seek and watch fireworks together. But when day dawns, he disappears and, as the new girl in the neighborhood, shy Melody makes no friends. One day, at the playground, Melody closes her eyes and dances, imagining the friend from her dreams as her dance partner. "Is that a new game?" asks a brown-haired girl in overalls. Soon the whole playground joins in their dance, and Melody confides in her new friend about her dream friend, and they all play together.
Byun's ink-and-watercolor artwork evokes the look of woodcuts. Textured full-page illustrations and smaller dream-like scenes help differentiate Melody's real world from her fantasy life. All of the images--both actual and imagined--share the same palette. This works well once Melody's dream world spills over into the playground, but up to that point of intersection, children will need to look for the large white feline to see which landscape--real or fantasy--Melody inhabits. Children will welcome Byun's message that Melody does not have to give up one friend for the other. In her dreams, and on the playground, all are welcome. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness