Dinara Mirtalipova | United States
A lush and expressive story, adding magic dust to bedtime by presenting the universal beauty and mystery of night, sleep, and dreams as a sparkling series of imagined starry night sky performances. The story begins as night unfolds, the stage’s curtains part introducing a magic show and inviting readers on stage to step inside the dreamy scenes. The stage is set; readers are dazzled by a three-act show that culminates in a whisper to the sleepy reader — it’s time to ‘let go’ and fall into dreams.
‘Widescreen’ banded spreads of dusky yet luminous main illustrations (reminiscent of ‘performances’ such as: movies on wide drive-in theater screens surrounded by night sky; vivid backdrops, dramatic lighting, and wide box-stages of marionette shows; and giant incandescent tanks glittering with fish in dark aquariums) work as visual parades showing the linear path of stars in constellations as they coast across the night sky. The action continues below as a playfully bold cast of tiny red supporting homunculus characters march across like shadow puppets on a bedroom wall. The silent wordless full-bleed spreads that follow draw readers into the scenes, each one punctuated by bold white shapes. The airy silhouette spreads that close each act provide visual breaks, changing the tempo before the next act of the ‘spectacular’ begins.
Wild illustrations appear free-flowing yet follow a pattern balancing between cinematic spreads, absorbing full-bleeds and airy silhouetted motifs. The story has a solid structure allowing it to support the abstract images and page design; non-traditional narrative softly guides readers through bedtime, suggesting winding down with quiet play, hints of soft music or lullabies, bedtime stories, contemplation, and the invitation to close their eyes and dream. The loose magical quality of the illustrations invites a sense of release, encouraging even anxious children to relax.
Education:
N/A
Published titles: 13