cover image Alexandra, Keeper of Dreams

Alexandra, Keeper of Dreams

Mary Alice Baumgardner. Rocky River Publishers, $12.95 (37pp) ISBN 978-0-944576-08-3

An example of bibliotherapy at its smarmiest, this debut picture book about a duckling determined to become a ballerina manages to invoke nearly every cliche imaginable as it strives to impress upon young readers the importance of perseverance. Inspired by a dance concert at the city park, Alexandra Quackendiver takes up ballet, with little success. As she verges on giving up, an inner voice urges her to press on. Finally, she discovers her true calling (underwater ballet, which she is credited with having discovered) and is awarded the ``Keeper of Dreams'' award for ``holding on to her dream until it came true.'' Baumgardner's wide-eyed prose is unintentionally hilarious (``It is a dream that somehow seems more real to me than feathers and quacks''), and even the genial colored-pencil sketches can't redeem the story's heavy-handed approach. Lest readers somehow miss the point, an effusive preface and afterword reiterate the story's message; provide guidelines for discussion; quote Goethe and Helen Keller; and, finally, compare Alexandra with such other ``Keepers of Dreams'' as Walt Disney, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. Ages 4-10. (July)