Free Verse: Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams

Bibliography:
Wong, Janet.2000. Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams. Ill. Paschkis, Julie. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN: 0689826176

Review:
Dreams. Everyone dreams. I dream almost every night. As I wake, these dreams often sneak away-only to be dreamed another day. Janet Wong has NOT let her dreams escape. In her wonderful book Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams, Wong explores the endless variety of dreams that we all experience. Dreams about ourselves, dreams of flying and falling, dreams of love ones we have lost and even the dreaded nightmare. All of the poems in this collection are concrete and easily understood and appreciated by children. Try reading Flying to children: In their dreams/my friends can fly./They flap their arms/and soar like hawks. When you do, I bet every hand will shoot up wanting to tell their dream of flying. These poems are written in free verse. No rhyming in these poems. However, there is a gentle rhythm about these poems that will appeal to readers. The tone of the poems changes depending on what type of dream Wong is describing. While reading these poems, I thought of the different dreams that I have had that were similar to Mrs. Wong's poems. Children will do the same. Julie Paschkis has collaborated with Janet Wong on several books. The illustrations were done in gouache on paper and are vibrant and subdued at the same time and add richness to all of the poems.
Poem Selection:
This is an excellent collection of poems to share with students. As an introduction, the teacher or librarian can talk about dreams: what are dreams, are there different types of dreams, how are daydreams different from the dreams you dream at night? , why do we dream? After discussing these questions, read Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams to students. You will need to let students read the poems again to themselves. After reading the poems several times and allowing students to read them silently to themselves, teachers and librarians can let students write about a dream that they have had.
The poem that I loved in this collection is called The Ones They Loved the Most. I lost my mom this past September. She has visited me a couple of times and I always wake trying to pull her back to me.
The Ones They Loved the Most
My mother says
the spirits of the dead
visit
in dreams,
seeking out
the ones they loved
the most.
When you are chosen,
remember to pull
at the air around you
when you wake,
pull and gulp it down,
swallow hard,
and those sweet memories
will stick
like cotton candy.

Extensions:
Learn more about Janet Wong at her website: http://www.janetwong.com/index.cfm
Learn more about illustrator Julie Paschkis: http://www.juliepaschkis.com/