If I Had a Little
Dream by Nina Laden and Melissa Castrillon
This sweet picture book follows a child as she explains what
she would do if she had a little land, house, garden, pond, and so on. Her dream begins with the musing of how if
she had land, she would call it There and ends with how if she had a dream, it
would be called You. Her wonderings take
her from a vast and vacant landscape to a lush world where anything is possible…because
of You.
This picture book, with simple text that also carries depth
of meaning, has beautiful illustrations that build in complexity and walk in
alignment with the growing wonderings of the child. It is a wonderful work of literature that is
for all ages, including adults who need to be reminded of their power to bring
a child’s dreams into reality.
Most importantly, though, this post is dedicated to
teachers. Your students may begin with
no land, no home, no place to call their own…or, they may be born with a warm
place to live and parents who provide all of the material things that they
think will be needed. Either way, those
students will have dreams, some may be more substantial than others, some may
be harder to realize. Dear Teacher, they
are looking to You to help make life magical, to make their wishes come
true. Find out what those are. Ask them, “If you had a little __________,
what would you call it? What would it do
for you in your life? Now, more than
ever, we have the power to be the Story that will teach them to believe. Even the smallest act that you do can make
history for that student.
Thank you to my student who gave me this book and let me be
her Story.
