Daydreams for Night

Gr 5 Up—This unusual collection of very short tales gives readers a taste of the strange and obscure. The stories range from delightfully peculiar, like "Little Girls," to creepy and unsettling, like "Girl Guide Cookies." None of the entries interconnect and there are no true narratives in these tales. Each vignette is a glimpse of a strange scene, without very much description or any reconciliation. Ouimet's gorgeous drawings meld well with the style of these tales. The detail in the illustrations help enliven sometimes confusing stories; each one is slightly unsettling and helps to enhance the eerie yet whimsical tone of the book. While some children may find interest in the bizarre nature of these short works, it may be a difficult sell for most libraries. Many of the stories read more like lucid dream recollections, and children who are not strong readers may find them difficult to comprehend.