THE SLEEPWALKERS
In
this graphic novel, a child calls a champion to vanquish monsters under the bed
and dreams so bad sleep won’t come, by putting a letter under her pillow. A dog
and two sheep arrive who spirit the dreamer away to a safe house where a third
sheep waits. The sheep and dog give the dreamer a strategy to use the next time
the nightmare comes, giving her control of the dream. The sheep, however, are
ready to retire so they create three apprentices whom they train to take their
places. The apprentices must learn to work together to conquer their own fears
before they can take on the work of the sleepwalkers. The comic book format
uses a loosely drawn and subtly colored illustration style to seamlessly blend
images and words. The narrative operates successfully on several levels as the
sleepwalkers demonstrate how to conquer fears in dreams and in life. Visual
references to the power of writing as a coping mechanism (one of the
apprentices is a pen nib on a bird body), the affirmation of putting on a brave
front (the bear apprentice creates a mask that helps him feel powerful) along
with the strategy of turning a monster into an object of ridicule, create a
faceted approach to conquering bad dreams and monsters that children will relate
to. The hint at the end of the book that the sleepwalkers are as old as human
history is a deft, delightful finish to the story. (Candlewick Press, 2013,
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6230-1).
No comments:
Post a Comment