View source for I Dreamed You by Justine Avery and Ema Tepic

{{infobox
|title=I Dreamed You
|author=Justine Avery and Ema Tepic 
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A love letter from a mother to her child, packaged up into a lovely, calm, peaceful book to be shared. One to make your babies feel valued.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes 
|borrow=Yes
|pages=36
|publisher=Suteki Creative
|date=May 2020
|isbn=978-1948124508
|website=https://www.justineavery.com/  
|cover=1948124505
|aznuk=1948124505
|aznus=1948124505
}}


It is always a pleasure to review a new book by Justine Avery and ''I Dreamed You'' carries on the tradition beautifully. This little book is the perfect exemplar of our category name, ''For Sharing''. It is a mother's love letter to her child, told in rhyme form.

It begins...

There was a moment, <br>not long ago, <br>when I dreamed of you, <br>and I didn't even know... <br>

How very much I needed you <br>or how much you wanted me. <br>You were waiting there, somewhere, <br>for the perfect time to be. <br>

The narrative takes us through how much this mother longed for her daughter and how her life changed for the better once she arrived - how home and landscape took on new meanings and comforts when they could be experienced together - and on to her promise that she will love and support her child as she grows and has hopes and dreams of her own.

It's a lovely, gentle, rhythmic expression of parental love and the joys of being a parent but it's also the perfect way to give a child a sense of security and belonging that will stand it in good stead as it grows up. It's easy to read aloud and long enough to reinforce the message but not so long that it is repetitive.

The illustrations by Ema Tepic complement the text perfectly. They're watercolour on textured paper and quite rustic in feel. Gentle colours and a calm feel blend perfectly with lots of detail to pore over and point together. There is a particularly beautiful double panel which shows how the family's house has been enriched by the accoutrements of childhood - a swing in the garden, a rocking horse in the living room, a mobile above a cot in the bedroom. 

This is not a loud, busy, exciting picture book. It's the perfect bedtime book for sharing and for reinforcing the security that comes from a loving bond between mother and child. It's creative and interesting but also calming and gentle with an irresistible flow. The perfect gift for an expecting or new mother, especially one who wants her child to experience a creative milieu right from day one.

Recommended.

{{toptentext|list=Top Ten Self-Published Books 2020}}

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