The Dream Keeper

Written in the form of a letter to his granddaughter, Ingpen's fanciful picture book chronicles an imaginary being who ""catches the creatures of our dreams when they escape to reality"" and returns them to a place called the Dreamtree. In less able hands, such a premise could rapidly decline into New Age-ish nonsense; instead, myth and lore collide to create a promising fantasy. Mystical, dreamlike and occasionally nightmarish, Ingpen's detailed illustrations blend pencil sketches and watercolors to flesh out the imagery evoked in his hand-lettered text. He shows the elaborate traps used by the Dreamkeeper; the shoes with the special backwards soles to mystify those who would try and track him; the charms, tokens and lures that are his stock in trade--even the solar-powered remote control used by his goblin assistant to ""unwind invisibility."" Sharp-eyed readers will recognize some familiar faces among the inhabitants of the Dreamtree--the Frog Prince, Long John Silver and the White Rabbit, among others. A most unusual book, with the same sort of appeal as Wil Huygen's Gnomes (1977). Ages 8-12. (May)