The Land of Nod

In his first book for children, British illustrator Hunter brings substantial depth and poignancy to Stevenson’s 1885 poem. A white, shaggy-haired boy sits glumly at the kitchen table as the poem opens (“From breakfast on through all the day/ At home among my friends I stay”), staring at children playing outside; the following spread shows him holding court in front of an audience of toys, and a glimpse of a crutch reveals why he is stuck indoors. Upon falling asleep, the boy soars into dreamland. Hunter uses lurid shades of pink and blue to striking, cinematic effect as the boy leaps across an airborne river of furniture, toys, and everyday objects to arrive in the land of Nod. The repurposing of objects from the boy’s home offers fresh delights with every page turn: a giant spoon serves as a boat, a desk lamp becomes a bridge, and the boy and his toys, now brought to life, soar through the sky in paper airplanes. It’s a sympathetic portrait of a child making the best of his convalescence, and an enticing vision of the wonders that await in dreams. Ages 3–7. (Feb.)