Book Description

" In this poetic tale, Hank dreams that he can fly. Come along for the ride as he recreates the dream for his little friend. How far will Hank fly? What will he see? How high will he go? These dreamland mysteries capture his friend''s imagination and they will capture yours too. The enchanting images of Rebecca Dudley''s meticulously crafted dioramas set the scene for this gentle fantasy. Readers will set sail, gliding through Hank''s world as he discovers the wonders of flight and the magic of friendship. This gentle, uplifting fantasy by the author of the bestselling Hank Finds an Egg highlights the magic of friendship and lets young readers'' imagination soar. Rebecca Dudley''s highly praised, hand-crafted dioramas and characters -- combined with minimal text -- will entertain and delight. Author Rebecca Dudley is a builder, creator, photographer, and artist. She makes everything that appears in her illustrations: the trees, leaves, ponds, skies, and the creatures themselves. She lives in Evanston, Illinois. Book trailer: Reviews: PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, ?STARRED REVIEW? " ''Last night I dreamed I flew!'' announces Hank, the bear/monkeylike critter from Hank Finds an Egg, before proceeding to regale his hummingbird friend with a step-by-step recounting of his dream. Dudley again stages the action in carefully crafted and photographed dioramas, this time creating lovely parallels between the ''real'' and dream action of the story. On the left side of each spread, Hank races through the forest, sits on a rope bridge, and swings from a tree. Each action mirrors events from his dream, which are shown in scenes that appear at right, with Hank floating over rivers and through the clouds in a delicate, translucent airship. Readers will find Hank''s subconscious travels every bit as enticing as his forest wanderings." AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION BOOKLIST "As before, Dudley''s images are awesome: delicate dioramas handmade from materials like clay, paper, wire, and fabric and then photographed with shallow focus to make them come popping to life. The tone is understated and sweet, and when the hummingbird asks to hear the entire dream again, Hank complies-and adult readers should also be ready to accede to similar requests from their listeners." KIRKUS "Meticulously crafted." CHICAGO TRIBUNE ''''It''s a tribute to Hank, the stuffed animal photographed for this entrancing tale, that you don''t pause to try to categorize him. Is he a monkey, a dog, a bear, or all three? It doesn''t matter, because from the moment you set eyes on his lopsided hand-sewn face, he is strangely, magically, unmistakably alive. This kind of transformation occurs only occasionally in children''s literature -- I was reminded of the ''Lonely Doll'' books by Dare Wright -- and when you find it, you don''t quibble about monkey noses and dog tails. Dudley, an artist who lives in Evanston, photographs Hank moving through a series of woodsy diorama scenes that are at once unapologetically make-believe and strikingly familiar. There are meticulously constructed prairies, creeks and oak trees; there''s even a glimpse of what could be Lake Michigan. We first find Hank sleeping in a bed of leaves, his hummingbird friend perched in the tree above him, and then it''s morning, and Hank is telling his pal about his dream (''I flew!''). In the panels that follow, Hank gives the bird an action-packed step-by-step account, with each real-world demonstration (Hank leans on a swing to show how he peered down at the ground) followed by a depiction of the same moment in the dream (Hank leans out of his flying machine, which is hovering above a grassy field). The gentle sweetness of this tale is undeniable; ''Hank,'' which will be released October 15, is a great choice for bedtime reading. But older readers will also appreciate the book''s quiet heft and complexity: the layer upon layer of make-believe, the shadows in the corners of bright landscapes, the poignancy of a very small creature venturing forth in a very big world.'''' --Nara Schoenberg Click here to download a free Common Core Aligned Teaching Guide for Hank Has a Dream. "