Dreaming of You

by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, AAron DeWitt (Illustrator)

This soothing bedtime story explores the question, When animals sleep, what do they see in their dreams?

The lyrical text tells readers that chipmunks dream of digging deep burrows, puppies dream of long, waggy walks, and horses dream of wild, windy rides. But most of all, the animals dream of all the fun and adventure the next day will bring. The gentle rhymes and gorgeous, serene illustrations combine to create a comforting story perfect for transitioning from a busy day to being tucked in peacefully at night.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Poetry, Storytime, Childrens, Fiction

28 pages, Hardcover

First published March 6, 2018

About the author

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is author of several poetry books for children including Forest Has a Song, With My Hands, Read! Read! Read!, and Write! Write! Write!. In addition, she is author of picture books Every Day Birds, Dreaming of You, That Missing Feeling, poems in many anthologies, and popular classroom blogs The Poem Farm and Sharing Our Notebooks. Her newest book is If This Bird Had Pockets: A Poem in Your Pocket Day Celebration (March 2022).

Having studied and worked at the Teachers College Writing Project at Columbia University, Amy has been an elementary school teacher and is author of the Heinemann professional book Poems Are Teachers: How Studying Poetry Strengthens Writing in All Genres and co-author, with Lucy Calkins and Stephanie Parsons, of Poetry: Big Thoughts in Small Packages. For 23 years, she has led writing workshops and has taught lessons celebrating the power and joy of words.

Amy lives on an old farm in Holland, NY with her husband, sometimes a child or two, and a handful of sweet pets.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thinking of watching my dog dreaming, her paws twitching and paddling in her sleep as if she is running, and the soft sounds of excitement she makes, as I read this book. I have often wondered what her dreams are made of. This delightful book helps us to imagine how animals dream, and what they dream about. I particularly loved the pages devoted to horses, and thoroughly enjoyed the images these following words conjured in my mind's eye: "Horses are dreaming of you telling secrets into long ears as you nuzzle their faces." The illustrations are wonderful also. They were unlike any I had seen before, I would describe them as having a realism with a childlike quality, a sort of softness, and a touch of whimsy. I will leave you with my favorite quote from this lovely book, "Tonight may your dreams all run free."

[Paul Hankins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The magic of this book begins in the front material with a depiction of a child's legs in yellow, full-of-stars footy pajamas who is dragging a stuff monkey across the opening's spread. Somewhere, anywhere, a child is getting ready to go to bed. A reader can already tell that this book is going to be special.

Gentle quatrains with an a-b-c-b rhyme scheme ponder what animals dream about as they dream about us. With some of the quatrains appearing across the spreads in couplets, the reader gets a real sense of VanDerwater's thoughtful presentation and rhythms. Blush-cheeked turtles and wide-eyed owls each welcome the listener to dream time.

Aaron DeWitt's illustrations are the stuff of classic children's literature with quiet presentations of the animals as they prepare for bed themselves thinking about what they might do in the day.

I love that VanDerwater is creating more and more poetry for children. Nothing is lost in her ambition as a poet and as an enthusiast of children's poetry. Her Read, Read, Read last fall was a love letter to readers everywhere and her forthcoming collection, With My Hands is also an example of VanDerwater's passion for and commitment to poetry for the younger audience.

Dreaming of You earns the distinction of being a One Book/Four Hands title and it is sure to make a wonderful gift book for parents of young ones for bedtime reading.

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the illustrations better than the text.

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful poem tucked inside this sweet nighttime story.

[Rebecca Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet book, flowing rhyme. What child wouldn’t want to imagine animals dreaming of them while they slept?

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely picture book that considers what a variety of pets and farm animals and woodland animals dream about when they sleep. Great for lessons in rhyming and in stimulating imagination. The illustrations by Aaron DeWitt in mixed media are gentle, colorful, and charming.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the sweetest goodnight books ever!

[Laura Shovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautiful book of gentle poems from Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. This one will have a special place in the hearts of children who love and take comfort from the outdoors or from animal companions. Each spread features a familiar animal: frogs, fish, horses, birds, bunnies, etc. Four lines of verse imagine what each animal might dream about, including their interaction with children. My favorite page is about fish who dream "of swimming beside you/tickling your feet as you're wading and splashing."

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely text and soothing illustrations. Just right for a bedtime book.

[Laura Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's new book, DREAMING OF YOU. This rhyming bedtime story imagines what all the animals are dreaming about. Wonderful details and fun language make it fresh and beautiful. Here's one of my favorite stanzas:

Chipmunks are dreaming of digging deep burrows.
Chipmunks are dreaming of fat, seedy cheeks.
Chipmunks are dreaming of racing and chasing you,
cheerfully playing at hide-and-go-seek.

And what fun for kids to chant along with the phrase, "____s are dreaming," which is repeated three times in each spread.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet dreams for little ones and all their animal friends!
Soft lines, gently dark colors helpful for calming to dream land!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet , rhyming bedtime story with the cutest animal pictures!

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is Dreaming Of You, written by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and illustrated by Aaron DeWitt, a charmingly sweet bedtime book filled with animal friends.

What do animals dream of when it’s time for bed? Well, all sort of things. Kittens dream of lapping fresh milk, turtles dream of sunning themselves on the rocks, fireflies dream of dancing in the cold moonlight. But perhaps you might be surprised to find that all these lovely animals enjoy nothing more than to dream of you. For instance, puppies dream of cuddling in a warm bed with you, and horses dream that you’ll whisper secrets into their soft ears. So as you drift off to sleep tonight, enjoy your lovely gentle dreams, and know that creatures great and small are dreaming of you, too.

Delightful yet wonderfully soothing. The poem that comprises the text flows gorgeously, with flawless rhythm and delicate, whimsical rhyme. The concept deftly treads a line between adorable and saccharine, keeping an earnest air of preciousness without veering into “cutesy”. The art is lovely, blending the look of oils, pastels and mixed-media into a style that looks classic but feels fresh. The length is perfect for a bedtime read, and JJ and I adored it. A wonderful selection for helping little animals lovers wind down, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a little long feeling and you can't take the ending literally - the entire books shows what animals dream about, and it's not you as the book's ending states haha.

Ages: 3 - 7

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story takes the reader through dreams of both animals and a young child. The author shares what each animal is dreaming of and connects it back to the child.
Colorful illustrations draw the young reader in to share the dreams.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wish authors would stop writing about cats drinking milk. Unless it's milk from their mother, milk is actually very bad for cats.

But even from that side note, I didn't care for the story.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet night-time book (lovely illustrations)

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the illustrations and this is a cute idea overall, may be a bit to wordy though.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely bedtime story contemplating what animals see in their dreams.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is worth buying just have the picture of the sleeping bunnies! the rhythm is so sweet and gentle--perfect for bedtime!

[Kristina Jean Lareau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive, gentle and rhyming...perfect to pull you to sleep.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good sleepy-time book.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet bedtime book about what animals dream about. Pretty illustrations.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet bedtime rhymes about animals dreaming of you. Tadpoles dream of becoming frogs and splashing with you in the bogs... Robins dream of singing and flying with you...etc.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute illustrations and a very sweet story. I love the cadence of this story when it is read out loud.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very long for a bedtime story.

[Great Books]

The perfect bedtime rhyme for little ones. When animals sleep, what do they dream about? Maybe about all of the adventurous things they're going to do tomorrow.
Reviewer 24

[Liz C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bedtime storytime pick.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures
Rhyming verses

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gentle bedtime story animals and their dreams.