Pistes d'exploration

Discuss the multiple meanings of the word dream. Refer to the definition on the title page.

Identify and discuss the significance of the historical figures and inventions featured on the two double-page spreads in the middle of the book. How are they relevant to the subject of dreams?

Reflect on your favourite colours. Have they changed over time? Choose colours to represent different stages of your life so far and include a brief, poetic description in the same style as the book.

Select one of the quotes and feature it in a different medium such as a painting, collage, poem or song.

In small teams, brainstorm and define the concept of a dream. Compare and discuss your definitions and the author's.

As the book is read aloud, take time to observe and discuss the pictures.

Identify and discuss the significance of the historical figures and inventions featured on the two double-page spreads in the middle of the book. What is their relevance to the subject of dreams?

Discuss the various quotes. Which quote speaks to you? Explain why.

Multimodal texts combine image and text to make meaning. Illustrations by different artists are connected through narrative text and quotations. The illustrations can be used as models for reading image and to inspire discussion and response.

What do you notice about the illustrations in this text? About the choice of quotes and accompanying text? How do they work together?

Select a developmental stage in the story and write a response. Consider the relationship between the illustration, text and quotation, and the way these texts impact meaning.

Brainstorm and define the concept of a dream. Do dreams change as you get older? Why or why not?

The “Blue” poem is about being an adolescent. Discuss what it means to figure out “the whole world.” Discuss the links between the poem and the illustration.

Choose an important moment in your life and a colour that could represent it. Write a poem on the subject and display all the class poems according to the colours of the rainbow. Share with younger students.

Yo! Yes?, Toot & Puddle, Yay, You!: Moving Out, Moving Up, Moving On

Mots-clés

Picture book , Poetry , dreams , first-person narration , inspiration , multiple illustrators , quotations

Commentaire descriptif

In poetic verse, this book explores how dreams, hopes and aspirations change throughout a lifetime. Written in the first person, exploring how dreams evolve throughout the many stages of life, the story begins by describing the inexhaustible possibilities that come with youth and ends with the wisdom that has been gained in old age from trying to achieve those dreams. The first page has a list of the definitions of the word dream, showing its versatile meanings. Prose is written in verse form and colours are often referenced to describe the moods of the author over the course of her life. “Then I was grownup, young and strong. My favourite colours were simple black and white. It was easy to tell Yes from No.” Highly descriptive language reflects how dreams inspire great ideas and actions. Each page contains an inspiring quote from a famous historical figure, like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Emily Dickinson, who strove to make their own dreams come true. Various artists, through different media and styles, offer their own interpretation of what dreams mean to them. At the end, there is a short explanation of each illustration and a few words about the artist. Readers may be inspired to think about what they dream about for their own future.