Dorothy In Dreamland

While dreaming of finding a way back to Kansas, Dorothy helps change the usual course of events in four familiar fairy tales

PreSchool-Grade 2-- The idea of a child entering a familiar story and influencing the outcome is an appealing one. Unfortunately, it is not well served in this book, as the writing is uninspired. Dorothy falls asleep remembering her favorite stories and wakes up in dreamland with Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood, and The Three Pigs. Although Frank Baum's Dorothy has dreamlike adventures, this story is far removed from the magic of Oz and there is little inherent reason to choose Dorothy as its narrator. Tigerman's illustrations, done in what appears to be oil crayon and felt marker, lack child appeal. Some of the artistic distortions, such as the witch's Macken-like fingers as she melts and the slavering wolf as he tries and fails to blow down the pigs' homes, grow out of the action, but most of the images are chaotic and will be confusing to children. The faces of the human characters, including Dorothy, are never delineated and usually the figures are positioned with their backs to readers, which creates a barrier, keeping them observers rather than participants. This book is a reminder that accomplished artists are not always good illustrators of children's books. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
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