Sea of Dreams

Sea of Dreams  by Dennis Nolan
Illustrated by Dennis Nolan
Published by Roaring Brook Press
2011

     A young girl builds a sand castle under the watchful eye of a seagull.  As the sun sets she walks away leaving the castle behind. Night sets, the waves start to crash against the sandy walls and a light goes on inside the castle.  As the building is overtaken by the water, the tiny inhabitants sail away towards a small island in the background.  They're caught in a storm and one of the passengers of the boat gets thrown overboard and he's saved by mermaids. They reach the island where there already are others just like them living there.  Next morning, the girl is back on the beach building a new sand castle...and the light goes on.  
     I'm in love with Sea of Dreams.  Dennis Nolan has created an amazing wordless book that will have readers savoring each one of its stunning pages.  Each time I read it, I noticed something new: like the seagull being the link between the two worlds or how the girl's bathing suit looks like the globe.  This is a "can't miss it" sort of book.  But don't take my word, just check it out and let me know what you think.