Carpet of Dreams

Carpet of Dreams Tessa Duder, ill. Mark Wilson, 34 pages, Angus & Robertson [HarperCollins], hardback $26.99 ISBN 0-207-19999-X

Carpet of Dreams is Tessa Duder’s first picture book. Sara is fascinated by an old carpet at her grandmother’s home. Each night she dreams of one of the magnificent animals woven into it and the young dark-haired girl who wove the carpet. The dolphin, camel, donkey and lion each tell Sara their story by night, and during the day her grandmother answers her questions although, after the elephant dream, she is a little embarrassed about her ivory piano keys. “‘Well,’ said Sara, ‘We could just thank the elephant…and play our duet.’” At the end of the story Sara makes a charming discovery about her grandmother, which many readers will already have suspected. Mark Wilson’s richly coloured double-page paintings capture the excitement and exotic appeal of this wonderful story.

Trevor Agnew

This review appeared in The Press, Christchurch, on 27 January 2007.