In My Dreams

by Effie Lada

An ode to our dreams, imagination and what makes us unique in our way. We all have different dreams...some of them take us on magical adventures across new geographies and landscapes and some other times they take us soaring up to the sky. And you, what do you dream about? Through poetic language and striking illustrations, In My Dreams will take you on a sensory journey full of beauty and tranquility. As these dreams give way to light, we will realize the most magical state is that of being ourselves.  A poetic book about dreaming, waking up, and . . . daring to be yourself. For daydreamers ages 6 years and up.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 18, 2023

About the author

Greek: Έφη Λαδά

Reviews

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Много приятни рисунки и кратки, мечтателни миниатюри текст. По-скоро е за големи, отколкото за малки читатели, а отгръщането на страниците е удоволствие.

[Krasimir Karaivanov]

Този тип книги, в които текста е не повече от 10 изречения са изключително трудни за оценяване и за това няма да го направя. Илюстрациите са изключително красиви, малко странни и в зависимост от настроението и емоционалното състояние на четящия, може да бъдат леко смущаващи.
Из между тези трийсетина страници, читателя се гмурка в света на сънищата, а на финала изплува от там стряскащо рязко. Усещането в подобен тип издания е супер важно, а тази книга на мен ми донесе покои. Изданието е невероятно с прозрачните страници, които карат фантазията на четящия да работи. Ако харесвате по-философски картинни книги, хвърлете едно око на тази.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book so much!! And the first spread is stunning!!! But then I felt like the other pages, while beautiful, didn’t live up to the first spread. And the novelty of the overlay wasn’t as impactful or meaningful as the first spread. The illustrations are still gorgeous! But how the overlay interacts doesn’t work nearly as well. I also didn’t feel like prose grabbed me or made much sense. I get that’s it’s a dream, but the writing wasn’t compelling for me. I gasped at the first page and then was let down throughout the rest. So I’d love to give it 4 or 5 stars but I was too disappointed to do so. I’d still recommend checking it out from the library as I did. But it’s not one I will purchase.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quiet, ethereal, beautiful book.

Translated from Dutch, I believe this the first time I’ve read a children’s picture book in translation. The text consists of two to four short lines every other page.

The real star here is the illustrations. It looks to me to be pencil drawings throughout, just gray scale until the last few pages. But there are vellum overlays with color on them between each page. Lovely, imaginative images.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only real thing that makes this a 4.7 and not a true 5 is the size is a bit too large for my personal comfort. However, the illustrations make up for that. They are amazing! The colors punch you in the nose! They are minimal so their impact is beyond strong. The story itself is poetic (not poetry in the "stereotypical thought") and a bit weighty. Take your time and read multiple times.

[Thompson McLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

In My Dreams

by Effie Lada

Illustrations by the author

Clavis Publishing Inc.

2023

332 pages

ISBN: 9781605378657

Originally published in Belgium and the Netherland,

2022Translation from Dutch by Clavis Publishing, Inc.

Simply transformative and ethereal art work by the author in grayscale pencil and pages with overlay that reveal hidden illustrations for the reader to discover make In My Dreams a treasure trove of artistic expression.

A young girl tries to stay awake to "catch" her dreams and see for herself where they come from, but, alas, she always drifts off to sleep. Color is introduced to the story: the green of the girl's outfit, gorgeous pink feathers as the child drifts over the rooftops of her town, a red umbrella and a school of orange fish. The girl wakes in the morning to a world filled with color, and she is "herself."

Sleepy, understated prose and beautiful images will make this book a nightly bedtime read.

Highly, highly recommended ages 2 and up. Libraries must buy at least two copies; one for the shelf (which is likely to be damaged after a few reads) and one for story time that will last years.

[Книжни Криле · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Моите сънища" от Ефи Лада, издадена от "Дъбови листа", е истинско произведение на изкуството, което пленява както деца, така и възрастни. Луксозното книжно бижу е изпълнено с възхитителни илюстрации, които се променят пред очите ни, благодарение на интересното оформление - ефирен полупрозрачен лист е вмъкнат между страниците на всеки разтвор, добавяйки нов слой с цветни елементи, допълващи илюстрациите. Поетичният текст, който разказва за магията на сънищата и смелостта да бъдеш себе си води читателите из съновиденията на авторката. Всяка страница е изпълнена с нежност и вдъхновение, което прави четенето истинско удоволствие. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

In My Dreams by Effie (Ephe) Lada is a gorgeous over-sized picture book about dreams and the imagination. Delicately drawn and colored, most pages are sort of muted, but through overlays with bright colors, we see that through dreams and dreaming/imagination we add color to our perception of the world. The writing is also restrained (not too many words), and lyrical, reflective.

I looked to see whether dreams were a common subject in picture books, and as it turns out there are a lot of books about them, but this is amazing. Certainly one of the best books of the year for me.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful art.

[Carmen Gatti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing artstyle, no plot

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books just speak to my heart and this is one of them. I have an intense feeling that I must share this treasure with my art teachers in my elementary schools. The text feels poetic and the art with the overlays muting the images momentarily the reader is in a dream state of mind. This book is for dreamers, artists, and those with open imagines and hearts.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple message, but a beautiful book!

[Bess Karlsdóttir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wat mij betreft had het boek sterker kunnen zijn zonder tekst. De tekeningen op het kalkpapier tussenin zijn heel mooi.

[Jeimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! The words are ok, but the illustrations can be breathtaking!