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Summary
Summary
"The story's rhythmic, repetitive structure makes it an excellent read-aloud. . . . Meanwhile, [Esau Andrade] Valencia's bright oil paintings evoke the joy of dreams and imagination. . . . Children of all backgrounds will enjoy it."-- School Library Journal
Ninety-two-year-old Octavio Rivera is a beautiful dreamer. And lately he has been visited by some very interesting dreams--dreams about piñatas that spill their treasures before him, revealing kissing turtles, winged pigs, hitchhiking armadillos and many more fantastic things! Octavio doesn't tell anyone about his dreams except his young granddaughter Regina because she alone understands beautiful and fantastic dreams. On the ninth afternoon Octavio prepares for his siestahoping to be blessed with one last lovely dream. That afternoon he dreams of a sky full of sweet and perfect hummingbirds calling his name over and over again...
Like Margaret Wild's marvelous book Old Pig , A Perfect Season for Dreaming unfolds the sweet possibilities in relationships between the very old and the very young. Benjamin Alire Sáenz--novelist, poet, essayist and writer of children's books--is at the forefront of the emerging Latino literatures. He has received the Wallace Stegner Fellowship and the Lannan Fellowship and an American Book Award. He teaches at the University of Texas at El Paso, and considers himself a fronterizo, a person of the border.Esau Andrade Valencia , born in Mexico, comes from a family of folk artists. Although still young, he is increasingly recognized as a master artist in the tradition of the great painters such as Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo, in whose footsteps he follows. Esau's paintings are included in the collection of The Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach as well as in the Downey Museum of Art in California.
Author Notes
Benjamin Alire Sáenz is a novelist, poet, essayist and writer of children's books. He has received the Wallace Stegner Fellowship, the Lannan Fellowship and an American Book Award. He teaches at the University of Texas at El Paso, and considers himself a fronterizo, a person of the border.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-During his 78th summer, Octavio Rivera begins to have the most fantastic dreams of his life. As they grow in intensity and whimsy, so grows his desire to share these visions. Of course, the only person who understands them is his imaginative six-year-old granddaughter. The English and Spanish texts allow children, families, and teachers to share this charming tale in either or both languages. The story's rhythmic, repetitive structure makes it an excellent read-aloud. For example, "On that first afternoon of summer, Octavio Rivera dreamed a Spanish guitar falling out of a pinata.whispering songs of love to a sky filled with perfect stars." "On the second afternoon of summer, Octavio Rivera dreamed two giant turtles falling out of a pinata.." Children will learn to count to 10 in both English and Spanish as they listen, which gives the story additional educational value. Meanwhile, Valencia's bright oil paintings evoke the joy of dreams and imagination. The luminous quality of his art underscores this delight and brings to mind the bright, sun-drenched light of the Southwest. The words and images also collaborate to celebrate many facets of Latino culture, from guitars and pinatas to close intergenerational relationships. While this is an excellent choice for libraries with large Spanish-speaking populations, children of all backgrounds will enjoy it.-Mary Landrum, Lexington Public Library, KY Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Gr 1-3-Octavio Rivera is a dreamer. He snoozes under a tree on the first summer afternoon, and dreams of a guitar falling from a piñata. On the second afternoon, while napping on the grass, he dreams of two giant turtles falling from the piñata. As his dreams continue, he suddenly gets the urge to tell someone about them, but he can't decide who. The urge gets stronger as the days go by, and on the eighth day, after dreaming of four girls and four boys falling from the piñata, he realizes that he can talk to his granddaughter. He takes her to the park and reveals all the things he has dreamed of. Told with poetic text and colorful, full-page acrylic illustrations filled with surreal imagery, this is an attractive bilingual title. Particularly moving is the special connection between the old man and the child. Recommended for all libraries and bookstores. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
(Primary) On the first day of summer, Octavio Rivera, age seventy-eight, begins to dream. Each subsequent afternoon siesta brings visions of a pinata that releases unexpected bounty: one Spanish guitar, two giant turtles, three Italian pears, etc. Aching to tell someone about these marvels, Octavio finally remembers his little granddaughter, Regina, who also experiences dreams as if they are "good friends who visit and console you when you're lonely." Similarly attuned readers will share wholeheartedly in this bilingual picture book's wonder. Saenz's long, languorous sentences in English and Spanish beautifully evoke a dream state in which the fantastical consorts with the mundane: "On the seventh afternoon of summer, Octavio Rivera dreamed seven magic shirts falling out of a pinata and the shirts contained all the colors of the earth and they were busy chasing the little boy who had lost them." Concurrently, the text offers the comfort of predictability through a cadenced refrain: "And when Octavio Rivera woke..." Valencia's richly hued and textured surrealist tableaux depict Octavio's dreams in a way that's both accessible and inspired. Every picture is thoughtfully, creatively composed; especially resonant is a wordless double-page spread showing the dream images floating all around Octavio and Regina, uniting the two in imaginative reverie. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
One cloudless summer, 78-year-old Octavio Rivera's afternoon naps lead to a series of fantastical dreams. On the first day of the season, a single guitar "whispering songs of love" bursts through a star-shaped piata, and on the second day, two kissing turtles float across a blue sky. With each passing day, the items delivered by the piata grow in both number and whimsy; as his dreams surround and fill him up, Octavio feels a growing need to share his dreams; but with whom? Senz's treatment of reality and his rich, sensory-filled imagery evokes Garc"a Mrquez, while Andrade Valencia's illustrations, done in a brilliant southwestern palette, employ flat perspectives and surrealist compositions to create a visual fusion of folk art and Magritte. One lovely wordless spread finds Octavio revealing his dreams to his granddaughter Regina, and in so doing, Octavio also shares himself. While a counting book in concept, Senz's text is layered with multiple meanings. Young readers will enjoy its structure, numbers and playful dreams, while more sophisticated readersand even adultswill find reasons to return to it again and again. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
