  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 12/01/2019 Digitally colored charcoal illustrations depict the wordless journey of a dandelion. Born into a field filled with his relations, the star of the story—depicted, once he wakes, as a lion-like creature with a bright yellow, flowery mane—has dreams of travel and adventure. The graphic illustrations show him hitching a ride on a train, a sheep, a ship, and a toy airplane as he marvels at the new sights and sounds beyond his meadow. Sparkling big-city lights remind him of his field of dandelions, which have now all turned to seed. Though he returns home, a new venture is on the horizon. The dominant shades of black, gray, and white serve as crisp backgrounds for the bright yellow flower, who shines as he enjoys mostly positive experiences in his travels. The illustrations vary in size; some are vignettes surrounded by frames, and others reach from margin to margin. Whether his roots ever truly leave the ground or if this is all his vivid imagination, readers will have fun deciding. - Copyright 2019 Booklist. School Library Journal - 01/01/2020 PreS-Gr 1—A tiny lion materializes in a dandelion patch in this wordless picture book with dreamy and gently fantastical appeal. The dandy lion whisks off from the field and onto a train. Serendipitously finding itself thrust in one adventure after the next, the tiny lion experiences kindness from unexpected places, dodges terrifying situations among the hustle and bustle of a city, and finds joy piloting a child's toy airplane in a park. Eventually, it floats into a meadow in the countryside and becomes a dandelion puff. Vibrant yellow, colored digitally, creates a striking contrast to the dreamlike landscapes rendered in charcoal. The landscapes and objects are perfectly shaded in charcoal grays and blacks, giving readers just enough detail to identify where the lion has landed. The yellow mane of the lion is reminiscent of a dandelion and acts as a frame of focus for the lion's face, which conveys the changing moods and tone of the story. VERDICT A clever and beautifully rendered wordless tale that will captivate young readers as they float along with dandelions in the circle of life.—Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
 |