El Salvadoran–born Argueta follows up his memoir of his childhood immigration northward, A Movie in My Pillow, with this lyrical yet confusing mediation on a dream. "I see trees hanging from the sky," a boy narrates from his bed, reaching toward the green leaves dangling above. This image, somewhat grounded, takes a fantasy flight with the next spread: "Their roots are snakes that in the day wind around the clouds so as not to fall." Yockteng (Messengers of Rain/ Mandaderos de la lluvia) gamely conveys these dreamy happenings with pink striped and polka-dotted snakes, but his representational style generally under-powers the surreal text. For example, in one incongruous scene, the boy proclaims his love for his dreams while a huge, fanged snake bears down on him. Most of the illustrations with their pencil outlines and watercolor wash offer a sunny pleasant quality that offsets any menacing forces. The rather abrupt conclusion offers another possible interpretation: "It's true/ I'm scared of heights./ That's why my bed/ is nice and low./ If my dreams make me fall/ it won't hurt so much/ when I hit the ground." Here the dreams seem to take on the meaning of aspirations. As evocative as the verbal and visual imagery may be, the book does not hold to an internal logic and may escape the understanding of most youngsters. Ages 3-6. (Apr.)
