Once there was

Corinne Demas

Book - 2023

A little girl dreams of being a princess, a princess dreams of being a horse, and the magical dreams of transformations continue until they come full circle.

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
Petaluma, California : Cameron Kids 2023.
Language
English
Main Author
Corinne Demas (author)
Other Authors
Gemma Capdevila, 1988- (illustrator)
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 27 cm
Audience
Ages 5-7.
ISBN
9781951836658
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In this tale that highlights the world's natural beauty, a girl with light skin and flowing brown locks embarks on a flight of fancy, dreaming a series of interconnected scenarios in Demas's cumulative-style fairy tale. Each segment of the outing begins with the titular phrase and indicates a progression from the child into the natural world. A girl who resides in a seaside cottage dreams she's a princess "in a golden gown/ who lived in a castle/ in a misty forest." The princess then dreams of being a horse, the horse dreams of being a tree, the tree dreams of being a mountain, and eventually a sea dreams that she is a little girl, circling back to the protagonist. Capdevila's wispy landscapes nail the book's ethereal mood while capturing awe-inspiring wilderness details including whales, snow-capped mountains, and crisp evergreens. The graceful blend of text and image offers readers a mind-expanding escape. Ages 5--7. (May)

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

What do you dream about? In a cascade of ever more lofty dreams, a tan-skinned girl who lives by the sea dreams of becoming "a princess in a golden gown who lived in a castle in a misty forest." The girl, now a princess with a tiara, dreams of being "a horse with a flowing mane who lived in a meadow filled with flowers." The horse in turn dreams of becoming a tree that then dreams of becoming a "great green mountain that rose so high she touched the clouds." The mountain dreams she is the moon; the moon dreams that she is the sea; and the sea dreams that she is "a little girl who lived in a vine-covered cottage by the sea." The final illustration returns readers to the original girl, and her sweeping hair blends with images of sea waves, a castle, and a horse, creating an artful summary of her imaginary journey that is now part of her. Spare, descriptive text is accompanied by rich, strikingly detailed watercolorlike illustrations. The simple story sends a message that it's important to dream and to reach for the stars and the moon--and that someone just might be wishing they were you. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A magical tale that comes full circle, urging readers to dream big. (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.