Dream On [If I Had A Little Dream Review & Craft]
![Dream On [If I Had A Little Dream Review & Craft]](https://www.homeboundbuthopeful.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IMG_9466.jpg)
I’m not sure about where you live, but in upstate New York, winters tend to be pretty bleak and grey. Even years like this that have been mild in terms of temperature and snow still leave me feeling blah. By the time mid-February rolls around, I’m ready for some vibrance and color. Unfortunately, to see that outside, I still have several months of waiting ahead. So when I came across If I Had a Little Dream while browsing at the bookstore, I snapped it up and brought that brightness home.
Nina Laden (creator of the very popular Peek-A Who? series) and Melissa Castrillon have put together an incredibly beautiful storybook filled with contrasting tones of blue and orange. Each page features a sweetly drawn little girl set in fanciful scenes of plants, flowers, and nature. The text focuses on each small dream this young girl might have- a little brother, a garden, a bicycle. Beautiful metaphors and descriptive language bring her dreams to life, and add importance and substance to each seemingly simple dream. A chair may seem like a simple wish, but within the words of this story, it becomes significant.
If I had a little chair,
I would name it Strong.
Strong would hold me when I needed rest,
until friends came along.
I found the page regarding a dream of a little brother particularly poignant and touching, in relation to my own life experience. #thebigone was so thrilled to become a big brother when #myrunawaybunny was born. He quickly went from being excited to welcome a new baby to learning how to be a big brother to a baby we told him ‘lived on the clouds now.’
If I had a little brother,
I would name him Sky.
Sky would be the air I breathe,
together we would fly.
The book page touched me deeply as well. It’s a beautiful characterization of how significant a role books can play in our lives and our happiness. Young and old alike can find comfort, compassion, and a sense of belonging within the pages of a powerful read. I love the way If I Had a Little Dream presents this idea.
If I had a little book,
I would name it Friend.
Friend would go wherever I went,
Our story would never end.
So, let’s Make something Bright & pretty!
I was inspired by the gorgeous colors and nature themed illustrations running throughout the book. I put together a simple but engaging project that can require little true artistic ability. This makes it great for the kids who say they can’t draw, or their pictures never come out right. (Everyone comes across one or two of those at some point, right?!). A little confidence goes a long way in budding artists, so a project that leaves kids feeling capable is a great thing.
You Will Need:
- Drawing printable or writing printable.
- Faux flowers- shades of orange and blue will best emulate the style of the book, but feel free to get creative with your kids when choosing. (Alternatively, flowers cut from colored construction paper would also work well).
- Craft glue. (Hot glue is another option, dependent on your child’s abilities).
- Strong shears or wire cutters. (You may be able to just pull flowers off their stems, depending on how they are made).
- Pencil or pen.
- Crayons, markers, colored pencils. (Optional, for kids who prefer drawing over writing.)
I’ve created 2 free printable options to use for this project. One includes a smidge of writing, and the other is great for pre-writers who may want to only draw instead (still great for pre-writing skills). On the writing sheet, the text for the child to fill in is minimal, and an adult can always step in to write their ideas if early or pre-writers need assistance. You might consider writing their thoughts lightly in a dotted line and allowing the child to trace their words as well.
#thebigone is currently obsessed with pangolins– so much so that he’s asked me to start calling him Pangolin instead of his name. So it makes perfect sense that he’s dreaming of a little ‘penglin’- named ‘Penley’.
The printables show an oval encircling the text or drawing area, mimicking the framed style found on many pages of the book. The simplest first step is to complete either the writing or drawing in the center of the oval first- it will be trickier to complete when the project is closer to the end, or will require significant drying time first. So just get that taken care of early on.
Encourage your children to use trimmed faux flowers, leaves, and petals to create a beautiful three dimensional frame along the oval. Craft glue (or hot glue, if your child is older and well supervised) work well for attaching the flowers. These can be as simple or as ornate as they would prefer. It’s a good idea to have If I Had a Little Dream available for them to reference for inspiration while they are working.
Once the glue has fully dried, your family will have a gorgeous representation of your child’s inner dream, created in the style of If I Had a Little Dream.
What sort of little dreams did your children have? Share them with me in the comments below!
Brianna
This looks great! Going to check it out!
Kate
Hope you love it as much as we do, Brianna!
Vicki @ Babies to Bookworms
This is so cute and I Love the craft! Those illustrations are gorgeous! I am ready for some color again too.
Kate
I seriously can not wait for some bright flowers! Thanks Vicki!
heart, home and hope
Such a beautiful and simple craft! I love it! And the illustrations are gorgeous in that book! ❤
Kate
Thank you! The book is just so beautiful, it’s hard not to want to create something pretty after reading it.
Kirstie
This is beautiful! I love the poetry in the book, and you recreated the look so well. It’s almost meditative to stare at it because it reminds me a little of what I think heaven might look like.
Kate
Thank you Kirstie! The illustrations are so intricate, it’s definitely easy to get lost in thought while looking at them.
Megan @ The Many Little Joys
This book is absolutely beautiful! The illustrations are classic and lovely, and the text is thoughtful and poetic. I’m totally in love and I want to go find a copy right now. Thanks for bringing it into my life!
Kate
I’m so glad you like it as much as I do, Megan!
Dawn
That looks like a lovely book and what a terrific craft project to go along with it. Good choice.
Kate
Thanks so much, Dawn!
Cheyenne
What a lovely little book! Thanks for sharing!
Kate
Thank you, Cheyenne!
ajonsson31
This book looks beautiful; I’m definitely buying it for my girls. And I love your craft idea to go with it!
Kate
Thank you so much! I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine has!
Naya @ Lactivist in Louboutins
The illustrations in the book are so beautiful! I love your craft as well, it’s definitely one to frame!
Kate
Thanks very much, Naya. It’s definitely a gorgeous book!
Jalisa
What a cute book. That craft came out so great.
Kate
Thank you Jalisa!
Meredith from Mommy in Leggings
This book sounds great! I love the printout…I can’t wait to hear the dreams my daughter has when she’s old enough to tell me!!
Kate
Kids have some crazy dreams- it’s nice to get a peek into their thoughts sometimes!
bettybrico
Wow, those illustrations are gorgeous
Kate
The artist is definitely very talented. Thanks for taking a peek!
projectlifewellness
The book sounds amazing and I love the craft/printable that goes with it. I cannot wait to do fun activities like this with my Son someday!
Kate
It’s a beautiful book! Your little one will be ready for some crafts in no time!