"Arthur's Dream Boat" by Polly Dunbar: Book Review & Giveaway

ISBN:  9780763658670
$15.99

When you first pick up this children's picture book, you are immediately impressed with the soft, intuitively gentle art that is done using various mediums.  The colors speak loudly of dreamy, amazing, childhood - blues, reds, greens basic browns and black but overtly soft.

When Arthur awakens, he has had a dream of a small boat it is green and pink and has a sail.  No one listens when he tells of his amazing dream.  He keeps on trying to gain their attention, but they are so busy and are not listening to him.  Yet on his head is perched the boat from his dream and it is amazing.  It keeps getting added to - polka dots on the sail, stripes on the mast, a gold flag, a figurehead. And it is growing!

Arthur shouts, "Listen to me," and at that time, Arthur and the sea catch their attention. 

This is a dreamy tale of exaggeration and of a boy who has a dream and whose telling of the dream grows with the telling.  The lively and whimsical illustrations are a delight to behold and tell the story from start to finish with beauty and boldness.  Though the art is bold, it is also soft like a child and will appeal wonderfully to the child in your life as you read about Arthur's amazing dream!

GIVEAWAY:  Candlewick Press will mail 1 of Chat With Vera's readers their very own copy of ARTHUR'S DREAM BOAT. Open USA only.  Easy entries:  Begins JULY 24 and ENDS August 10 at 12:00 Noon EDT.

Enter using ALL the choices or as few as you wish.  The choice is yours - but the more you enter, the greater the possibility that you will be chosen as winner. 
Winner chosen using www.random.org.

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About the author/illustrator:  In addition to creating children's books, Polly Dunbar works as a freelance illustrator in London.  Polly Dunbar is the award-winning author-illustrator of Penguin and Dog Blue, as well as the Tilly and Friends series. She is also the illustrator of Here's a Little Poem by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters, My Dad's a Birdman by David Almond, and Shoe Baby, written by her mother, Joyce Dunbar. Polly Dunbar lives and works in Brighton, England.

DISCLOSURE:  I received a complimentary copy of Arthur's Dream Boat from Candlewick Press in order to render a review.  Opinions expressed are my own.  The Giveaway copy for one of Chat With Vera's readers is also provided by Candlewick Press.