Van Allsburg, C. (1990). Just a dream. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
ISBN: 0395533082
Illustrator: Van Allsburg, C.
Media: Tone Illustrations
4Q/4P
Curriculum Connection: Grades 5-6; Environmental Studies
Annotation: Walter does not care much for recycling and the environment until he dreams of the future one night and realizes his not caring could have nightmarish ramifications.
Art Analysis:
Any of Van Allsburg’s picture books merit artistic analysis and discussion. His talent is unquestionable. His work Just a Dream proves no exception. Like the groundbreaking work of picture book pioneer, Wanda Gág, Van Allsburg’s Just a Dream accomplishes what Gág’s Millions of Cats did. Both artists use “negative space to indicate the passage of time, varied page layouts, and illustrations that [break] out of their frames to extend across two pages” (Cover to Cover, p. 88).
For example, in Just a Dream Van Allsburg tells of a boy having a dream where he travels to the future. This sense of time travel is depicted first with a page of text on the left and a small square illustration (measuring about 2in.x2in.), not quite in the middle of the page, with a bit of leading text underneath (usually one word followed by ellipses…) on the right; then, when the reader turns the page, she is met with a full-color, two-page spread illustration and no text. Over and over this juxtaposition is repeated: a lot of text, then a small illustration and a little text, then a large, double-paged illustration and no text. A fluidity is created and the result is a textually and visually symbiotic picture book, otherwise known as a stunning page-turner.
5.18.08 cjm
Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990. 0-3955-3308-2
Annotation: When he has a dream about a future Earth devastated by pollution, Walter begins to understand the importance of taking care of the environment.
Media: pen & ink
Rating: 5Q/4P TOP TEN
Literary Device: Allusion, Metaphor (both in illustrations)
Theme: The environment. Through a dream Walter has, we are taken into the future and given a glimpse of what our world may be like if we don't take care of the environment now.
Metaphor –
In Just a Dream, Walter’s bed acts as a metaphor in the illustrations to depict his dream. In each full 2-page picture, Walter is traveling in his bed through the various ecologically sensitive environments. The bed shows the reader that he is dreaming.
lvanburen/06-09
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