I Dream of a Journey

PreS-Gr 3–The proprietor of a small hotel longs to travel to faraway places just like the people who stay at his establishment. Many of his guests have become friends over the years and they send him postcards from the places they visit. But postcards are no substitutes for adventures, and, especially at night, “a feeling of wanting to go far away wells up inside” him. He dreams of packing a bag and traveling to distant lands, places where “unexpected things” could even happen “every day.” Perhaps he might also visit some folks who have stayed at his hotel. In the morning, though, he lives out his same routine in the same small town. However, a final image of doves soaring free above the town may forecast that our protagonist will one day follow his longings and embark on the journey of his dreams. All the characters are animals. The hotel scenes are rendered in dark charcoal that aptly match the bear owner’s dull, uneventful life. Color appears only on the endpapers, which depict a vast expanse of sky that invites exploration, and, in the bear’s dreams, in which he sees himself in new locales. A striking spread contains images of the many colorful postcards the bear receives from friends.