Sweep Dreams

by Nancy Willard, Mary GrandPré (Illustrator)

There was once a man who fell in love with a broom. By the light of the full moon, this enchanted broom sweepwalks, and when the man discovers her they dance together, up and down the room, into the kitchen and down the hall. Then, this extraordinary broom is kidnapped - no, broomnapped - by a greedy stranger, who soon tosses her aside when he finds she won't dance for him. It seems all is lost, but there's magic in love, and soon the broom is once again sweeping where she belongs. Nancy Willard's lyrical language and Mary GrandPré's lush artwork inspire the imagination in this fanciful picture book.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy

32 pages, Hardcover

Published June 1, 2005

About the author

NANCY WILLARD was an award-winning children's author, poet, and essayist who received the Newbery Medal in 1982 for A Visit to William Blake's Inn. She wrote dozens of volumes of children's fiction and poetry, including The Flying Bed, Sweep Dreams, and Cinderella's Dress. She also authored two novels for adults, Things Invisible to See and Sister Water, and twelve books of poetry, including Swimming Lessons: New and Selected Poems. She lived with her husband, photographer Eric Lindbloom, and taught at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Reviews

[Erin]

This is an enchanting little story, if you can get past the fact that the man falls in love with a broom. Once the odd love affair has been absorbed, the rest of the story is quite charming. The man falls in love with the broom, brings her home and treats her well, but a nefarious stranger sees the magical, wonderful, beautiful broom and steals her to put her on display. When the broom doesn’t perform, the thief discards her, inspiring a rescue mission on the part of her lover.

The illustrations by Mary GrandPre are rich in color and begin with a lovely opening page with a close-up of the smitten man. GrandPre’s lines and shapes are curvy and organic. The colors are bright, and around the man and broom the colors are quite warm. She uses contrast and value to show how dark and evil the thief is, and how amazing and wonderful the broom is. The illustrations occupy space well and are mixed between two-page spreads, single pages, and small vignettes. Most of the perspective is about knee-high, but she zooms out and in when appropriate to add dimension to the story. The one odd thing I noticed is that the text that overlays the pictures is most often black, which makes it difficult to see at times. Only once does the text change to white so that it is more visible.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully odd, fairy-tale like story of a dancing broom. This one would make a fun, not-too-spooky read aloud.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique story, beautiful artwork. Especially appropriate for an October read. Celebrate the broom!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweep Dreams is the story of a man who falls in love with a broom he sees in a store that turns magical. He takes the broom home and learns of its magical behavior. The broom is kidnapped and then retrieved after being discarded, and the broom goes on to sweep the sky, not staying with the man who lived it. Really weird. Really. But the art was cool. We love Mary GrandPre.

[Diana C. Kobylak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story about a man who admired a red haired broom in a Store. He bought it, but valued it too much to use it. The broom wilted because it was not fulfilling its purpose. The remedy was for him to put it to use. The broom blossomed and soared under his care.

[Sem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't speak for anyone else but I'd have no trouble falling in love with a broom, especially a broom with bark on the handle. How could anyone leave her in the shop?

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find the idea of a man falling in love with a broom kind of creepy, but after that initial sentence the story gets better. The man takes the broom home, but thinks she is too beautiful for sweeping. She languishes until he starts sweeping with her. Then he sees that she is magic. She can dance! She is stolen. Will he get her back. This is a book for kids, so figure it out. Some of the language here is beautiful. "Her broomstraws were as red as if she's swept up a sunset." That's the kind of imagery you want to read to children. You can almost see their little imaginiations expanding. The illustrations are colorful and imaginative. Not for babies, but perhaps for those a bit beyond the toddler stage.

[Jessica Trufley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not really sure what this is about. The story is of a man that falls in love with a broom, she gets kidnapped, he gets her back, then she decides to live in the stars. I feel like there is some metaphor that I'm just not understanding. I would not read this in class, and it was boring to me so I don't think I would recommend it as a read-at-home book either. The pictures are great though!

[Melle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tale as old as time: boy meets his object of enchantment, in this case a dancing broom. Okay, first of all, who the what falls in love with a broom, let alone a magical broom with a nighttime dancing tendency? C'mon. The illustrations were pretty enough, considering this is a fairytale romance about a dude and a broom.

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mother in law gave this book to me. It's kind of cute. I love the pictures. I think it's a little weird but I liked it.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I love the illustrator. And the pictures were pretty much all this very strange book had going for it. Two stars for the sake of Mary GrandPre's exceptional artwork.