Pause for Poetry: The Dream Train
If you’d like a good night’s rest,
you’ll find this advice is wise.
When you go to sleep…
don’t forget to close your eyes.
In his first poetry collection, Sean Taylor offers a wonderful selection for sharing at bedtime. Organised into three sections- Night Arrives, Shut-Your-Eyes Time and Dream Wheels Turning- the book contains a magical range of verse.
The range of styles and moods offered by these poems makes the collection an excellent starting point for developing a child’s love of poetry. Some are gentle lullabies, soothing and comforting a child to sleep; others are for questioning, inspiring new ideas. The book is a celebration of the gift of being read to at bedtime, reflected in the fact that one of Sean’s poems was inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘The Land of Counterpane’ which his mother used to read to him at bedtime.
‘Asked by a Pillow’ is a selection of questions asking ‘how many…’ . Children will love to add to these, customising the poem into one of their own and allowing them to ‘write’ a poem without even realising. There is plenty of gentle humour in these pages- ‘Cave Bear’s Snore’ or ‘Ducks Like to Dream’, for example. Many are wrapped in the love and security of togetherness, of family, of home. ‘The Blanket’ shows a connection between generations- how something made with love can act as a living reminder.
With their lyrical flow, there are many poems here which children will absorb easily and join in with. ‘Moonrise. Bat flies. Night skies. Sleepy sighs…’ words which trip off the tongue, with the first words reflected in the last, making these bedtime poems extra special as they become interactive and shared.
Visually, this book is a complete joy. Anuska Allepuz’s work has a dream-like quality, enhanced by muted, calming colour choices. There is plenty to explore on each spread, imaginative details to enjoy and stories to tell. ‘The Dream Train’ would make a stunning gift to treasure and share through- and for- generations.
The Dream Train: Poems for Bedtime
Sean Taylor, illustrated by Anuska Allepuz
Walker Books ISBN: 978-1406387902