Reviews: (by author)

Thomson, Sarah l. Imagine A Day. Illus. Rob Gonsalves. New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers Simon & Schuster, 2005. ISBN 0-689-85219-3

Imagine A Day is a companion to the critically acclaimed Imagine a Night (2003). Gonsalves' daylight world depicts life ordinary and fantastic. The illustrations dominate the book.
Gonsalves' acrylics appear both surrealistic and realistic-making the impossible, possible. While he acknowledges the influences of surrealists Varo and Magritte, Gonsalves' work seems similar to Chris Van Allsburg's.
Sarah Thomson writes a lyrical introduction to each of the thirteen single and double page paintings. With the repeated beginning phrase "imagine a day," her lines speak to the illustration, providing a jumping off point for Gonsalves' imaginative scenes and for our own daydreams.
Thomson's writing gracefully accompanies the pictures. However, the focus remains on the startling quiet and beautiful pictures; a turn of the page brings new delight. For example, we read: "Imagine a day./.when you forgot how to fall," and we see a two-page spread of an amazingly impossible scene. Balancing themselves, four children walk across a New York skyline on two by fours, which become a bridge onto a picket fence around a backyard. The fence moves and circles back to become the city skyline again. Everyone will have a favorite illustration, and then, I suspect, will find another favorite. This kind of book never grows old, but becomes new with each reading.

Toni Rowden, January 2006

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