All Aboard for Dreamland

_{by Melanie Harby, illustrated by Geraldo Valério}

Destination Dreamland! Hop aboard for a topsy-turvy ride through Wiggletown, Giggletown and Groggy Grove! Geraldo Valério's fanciful illustrations and Melanie Harby's engaging rhymes deliver a trainload of read-along fun to sleepy children, transporting them safely to the land of their dreams.

Reviews

"All aboard for Dreamland!" is the clarion call of this rhythmic bedtime read-aloud that opens with a giant megaphone blaring out a wavy set of railroad tracks. Train purists, though, will have to use their imaginations, as the first vehicle on the track is a white unicorn on wheels, transporting a motley crew of beaming, big-nosed passengers. The magical mystery train transmogrifies next into a series of wheeled buildings: "Full steam ahead to Wiggletown! / We zoom down Zig Zag Hill, / winding 'round and upside down / till no one can sit still." As the train chugs through the land of Strrrretch ("Chugga-chugga chuckle!"), a taffy-like pink elephant tickles its ears with its toes. As in many bedtime stories, the illustrations optimistically invoke the power of suggestion; the characters get sleepy and close their eyes as the train heads into "the drowsy town of Yawwwwwn." Valerio's brightly colored, stylized paintings, textured with visible brushstrokes and the occasional cutout piece of graph paper, are just jaunty enough to fuel this giddy trip to Dreamland. (Picture book. 2-4) -- Kirkus Reviews 5/15/08

Author Biography

Melanie Harby lives in California with her husband and two sons. She has written lyrics for CDs produced by Walt Disney Records and Warner Bros. Records. This is her first children's book.

Illustrator Biography

Geraldo Valério has illustrated many picture books published in his native Brazil as well as Portugal, the United States and Canada. He lives near Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC.