Even little kids have some very big dreams. In Vidalón’s inspiring picture book for children, a young girl named Penelope learns the importance of believing in herself and being true to her goals. When the story begins, Penelope’s dream follows her everywhere, taking the form of a blue, cloudlike shape with large, expressive eyes, a heart-shaped nose, and a broad smile. Her dream fills her life with excitement— “she knew that with her dream anything was possible.” Over time, her dream grows larger—and her friends begin to laugh at her because her dream seems too big, which causes her to feel embarrassed. She begins leaving her dream at home when she goes out, causing it to wither and shrink to almost nothing.

When Penelope abandons her dream, its anthropomorphic features are most effective, its dewy eyes twinkling with tears as Penelope leaves it sitting alone on her bed. Adults will recognize this devastating sensation as one that comes with abandoning once-cherished desires, prompting an opportunity to discuss why kids should always follow their hearts, no matter what their friends and classmates say. Penelope’s dream is also not specified—she’s shown wearing a stethoscope, a pilot’s cap, and a superhero cape, giving kids the chance to fill in the blank with their own deepest wishes.

Vidalón’s illustrations mostly show Penelope and her dream interacting on plain pastel backgrounds—they play together, hug each other, and bring joy to each other’s existence. Making Penelope and her dream the primary focus helps highlight the strength and necessity of their relationship, which corresponds, in essence, to the reader’s relationship with their own goals. Penelope eventually rediscovers her dream in the bottom of a drawer, shriveled but still grinning, leaving readers with the encouraging sentiment that “we all have a dream; some of us have simply lost sight of it.”

Takeaway: A young girl learns the importance of believing in herself and being true to her goals.

Comparable Titles: Kobi Yamada’s What Do You Do With an Idea?, Ashley Spires’s The Most Magnificent Thing.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A