Benito's Dream Bottle by Naomi Shihab Nye

So we have stumbled upon this beautiful little book by Naomi Shihab Nye. It caught my eye because of the author’s name. Some of you may recall Violeta’s review on Nye’s The Tree is Older than You Are. Anyway, we found Benito’s Dream Bottle on my daughter’s bookshelf and we’ve no real idea where it came from. Probably one of our foraging trips to Half Price Bookstore back in TX. I say this because it does not look new, but well loved! By whom, I wonder?

But, oh, how we do love it now! This book is written in English, no Spanish at all, but as the LBBC reviews books that are both bilingual and bicultural, this book fits in nicely. The story is about Benito, a young boy who is intrigued by dreams – who has them and where do they come from? He becomes terribly distraught when his grandmother tells him that she hasn’t dreamt in a long time. He then sets out to help her “get better” and dream again.

The imagery that Nye uses is wonderful! How I so wish that I had dreams like the ones described in the book. And the ideas she presents as to where dreams come from – they are so beautiful and clever! Although they are accompanied by fluid and lively illustrations by Yu Cha Pak, Nye’s descriptions are so vivid that my daughter would love this story even if there weren’t any pictures in it.

Here’s a little taste…

“At night, when his mother bent her head to kiss him, her braid tickled his face. Shadows from the pecan trees made spooky moving fingers on his bed. Benito would think of all his favorite questions: Does dust have wings? How much does a fingernail weigh? How long does a kiss stick to a cheek? The bottle tipped, and the dreams made pools and lakes and rivers inside his head. He could dip his toes in – he could float and swim…”

Another thing I like about the book is how it conveys the closeness of Benito's family, and most especially his relationship with his grandmother. Certainly a beautiful story that I do highly recommend for all families – Latino and non-Latino.

If you would like to buy your own copy of Benito’s Dream Bottle, please click here. Or you can follow the link in our sidebar to the LBBC’s on-line store. We have both new and gently used copies available.