BOY ON THE BRINK

A young boy is having a great day fishing, going to the beach and to a carnival, but the elders of the family are quick to issue warnings: “Not too close,” “Stay out of the caves,” “Hold on tight.” Once asleep that night, though, there is adventure afoot, and no overprotective grownups to throw a wrench into the works as he plays hero, “. . . and when the bed landed, it was transformed into a world of mountains and valleys, with a river that spilled into a waterfall and a vast green sea.” McPhail’s dreamscapes pull the neat trick of being shadowy and lustrous at the same time, and the spidery pen work populates the illustrations with things that go bump in the night. This sense of lurking danger is more often suggestive than specific, and it’s an edgy pleasure to explore the art while following the boy’s exciting progress. It is equally enjoyable to see how the boy’s waking life has been appropriated by the dreams. These are the dreams that a young boy dreams of dreaming. (Picture book. 4-8)