R.E.M.
Kindergarten-Grade 3.  Reality and fantasy intertwine, transmogrification abounds, and the impossible happens in this wordless excursion into the world of dreams. During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, dreams evolve, and the cover art hints at these strange goings-on; two large bare feet are surrounded by some truly unusual objects. On the opening pages, a pair of eyes becomes a drop of water that morphs into a small blue man who elongates, then finds a string that turns into etc., etc. Just as in a dream, sense and nonsense blend until the sleeper (a boy in pajamas and warrior gear) awakes, seemingly unaware that he is surrounded by the animate and inanimate objects that populated his sleep. Groggily, he heads for the bathroom where he literally swirls the nighttime fantasy down the sink drain and embraces the new day. Banyai's distinctive illustrations are flat, boldly colored, and reminiscent of European comic art. They cleverly carry the ever-altering objects across one page and on to the next. After awhile, however, suspense diminishes and readers' curiosity wanes. When the sleeping child finally awakes, the fun resumes as dream-time objects find their real-life counterparts in the bedroom and bathroom, but loss of momentum midway may discourage ever reaching this conclusion. A purchase where Zoom (1995) and Re-Zoom (1995, both Viking) have loyal fans.?Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.