#239 of 1001 · March 27, 2021

The book of the day is Kate Westerlund and Robert Ingpen’s If You Wish, a dainty and dreamlike adventure. Mired in boredom, a young girl named Willow encounters a friendly being named Tally, who guides her through the process of transporting herself to another world. A carousel suddenly appears, and Linnet the horse springs to life, ready to carry Willow over a marvelous landscape of villages, fairies, castles, and dragons. Westerlund has fun with her premise, scattering clues here and there that this entire escapade may in fact be taking place within Willow’s capacious imagination. Ingpen’s richly detailed art simultaneously conveys far-off wonder and a gentle, reassuring warmth. Curiously, a character named Tally also appears in a picture book called The Dream Keeper, published three years before his one. Similar to the figure in this story, he is short and mystical, and he sports an enormous white beard. The Dream Keeper was both written and illustrated by Robert Ingpen. Whether this connection is intentional or simply an enormous coincidence I cannot say. #wish #imagine #imagination #carousel #horse #flying #fairies #dragons #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks