Reynolds (Playing from the Heart) returns to familiar inspirational territory as he celebrates individuality, self-expression, and the joys of being a dreamer. A shaggy-haired boy narrates, explaining that while the world often tells him to "sit still" and "be quiet," "my dreams have a mind of their own." He's initially shown sitting at a gray desk in a gray classroom, but a swirl of color beckons, and soon he's leaping across a spread, accompanied by music notes and bursts of cheerful color. Throughout, Reynolds's hand-lettered text and airy cartoons dance across the pages, capturing the freewheeling workings of the child's mind, and a gatefold showcases children showing off dozens of way to be happy (a "nature happy" girl on a hike, an "art happy" painter) or dreamers (such as a "stage dreamer" midperformance). While Reynolds's encouragements can get generic at times ("Sometimes... I'm a colorful dreamer,/ painting my own path/ full of surprises at every turn!"), he offers a liberating validation of dreaming as restorative, comforting, and powerful, while giving kids full license to be themselves. Ages 4–8. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Mar.)

PreS-Gr 2—A pajama-clad child is a self-proclaimed happy dreamer, good at "daydreams. Big dreams. Little dreams. Creative dreams." The child demonstrates different ways to dream, acknowledging that sometimes dreaming is easy but that there are lonely moments, too. The secret is to find a way out and get back to dreaming. This celebratory book finishes on a motivational note: "But the best way to be a happy dreamer? Just be YOU." The digital illustrations feature loose linework and soft, swirling pastels. As in many of Reynolds's books, the text is hand lettered. A large foldout reveals a plethora of kids participating in various activities: "nature happy," "kindness happy," "civic dream," and "vision dreamer." Although some illustrations pop from the page, others, showing literal visual translations of the text, are less engaging. The work aims to be uplifting and rousing, but the never-ending stream of inspirational keywords and phrases result in a sentimental, clichéd free verse poem. Unfortunately, this title lacks the narrative arc and originality of Reynolds's earlier titles, such as Ish and Sky Color. VERDICT An additional purchase for large libraries, or a lovely graduation gift.—Amy Seto Forrester, Denver Public Library