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Salamander Dream
Salamander Dream is a young girl's journey within a magical forest. As the year's pass, she finds herself changing, which in turn, changes her friendship with Salamander.
104 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 2005
1 person is currently reading
340 people want to read
About the author
Hope Larson
141 books718 followersHope Larson is an American illustrator and comics artist. Hope Larson is the author of Salamander Dream, Gray Horses, Chiggers, and Mercury. She won a 2007 Eisner Award. She lives in Los Angeles, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
January 24, 2008
This is the comic book equivalent of Joni Mitchell's "Circle Game," in the best way possible.
A girl befriends a anthropomorphic salamander. They identify animals and share stories. She grows older. It's bittersweet and not particularly deep, but quite powerful. Larson's a great storyteller, probably even better than her husband, Bryan Lee O'Malley. (He's way funnier, though.)
A girl befriends a anthropomorphic salamander. They identify animals and share stories. She grows older. It's bittersweet and not particularly deep, but quite powerful. Larson's a great storyteller, probably even better than her husband, Bryan Lee O'Malley. (He's way funnier, though.)
January 17, 2023
Cute but not much there? IT was supposed to be a story about imaginary friends and the magic of childhood, but it...lacked depth? Visually creative, I'd been hoping to know the characters and world to some extent, but all I walked away from is that the girl speaks to the salamander when she feels like she's alone and he tells her stories. Which, in theory, is a lovely concept. It just didn't feel like the idea translated smoothly to the page. The story would have probably lent itself more to a short film concept.
October 29, 2008
This book is slightly disturbing in a lot of ways. The main character, Hailey, befriends a Salamander Man in the woods. As the story goes on, she forgets her old friend (read: The Giving Tree) and he seems to have moved on as well. They connect to each other through telling stories, but you also have the idea that the salamander is romantically interested in Hailey as well. The end is sort of bittersweet, and, on the whole, I would say this is as much about leaving behind your childhood as it is about leaving a first love. Both are sad topics, and they seem slightly glossed over here. Also, I found Hailey's story, in the end, to be a little confusing. Was she sharing everything about her? Or was she telling the salamander what it's like to be human? I almost thought there was some sexual tension with them both "entering her body," but that could just be the English major in me. Or, maybe it's because he was smoking a cigarette afterwards. Just kidding!
November 11, 2010
You know, I just don't love Hope Larson. She's a little too focused on the mystic/everyday/artsy without actually having a style or even a weird attitude that lends itself very well to that. The story of a girl and her invisible/imaginary/nature friend, a salamander/boy. Pretty, but nothing wowing. Sorry Hope, really. You do well, but I don't really get you.
May 11, 2021
For the life of me I can't remember who recommended this me, but it just didn't do much for me. The illustrations were lovely but there wasn't much story really, and what there was was pretty simple. Maybe like 2.5 stars because it wasn't bad, there just wasn't much to it.
March 22, 2018
Totally, 100% charming.
This is the story of a young girl's growing up and her relationsip with her imaginary friend the salamander.
Beautifully illustrated, charmingly written - it offers several cute moments over the course of years, giving the reader enough detail to buy into the scene, but leaving enough room to bring the emotions of your own adolescence to the story.
Very strong work. Looking forward to more from Hope.
This is the story of a young girl's growing up and her relationsip with her imaginary friend the salamander.
Beautifully illustrated, charmingly written - it offers several cute moments over the course of years, giving the reader enough detail to buy into the scene, but leaving enough room to bring the emotions of your own adolescence to the story.
Very strong work. Looking forward to more from Hope.
November 28, 2021
first book that ever made me cry!!! the art is so beautiful! wish more books were like this with this art !
October 1, 2022
A little pocket of nostalgia. Lovely, simple illustrations that evoke a feeling of growing up and inevitably leaving behind the magic of childhood wonder.
January 7, 2023
This story, the first solo project by Hope Larson, is the tale of a young girl's journey within a magical forest and her friendship with a salamander there, told in a series of encounters at different points in the girl's life. At each stage of her life, as she changes, so does her relationship with the Salamander. It is a wonderful coming of age story, illustrated in just black and green; the artwork is amazing and you can go pages without dialogue or text but still be told much. This minimalist approach adds much to the story. It is a coming of age story done in a wonderful and unique way.
May 11, 2024
Fine. Found this yesterday taking Jakw for his first time to ID library. Took 20 minutes.
June 29, 2022
A cute, simple story about a girl growing up, moving on, and her imaginary friend doing the same. It made me feel nostalgic of my childhood and simultaneously sad about getting older and losing the magic of my youth. A nice quick read if you're looking to feel something.
March 13, 2017
I don't understand what the hell this book was supposed to be. Just confusing and weird. A lot of it I just did not understand. The colors we're pretty and it's obvious it's meant to be about how special a friendship can be, but I just didn't understand the specifics.
November 16, 2007
This is the perfect little book for all ages. Its about an eight-year-old girl named Hailey who spends her summers in the woods with Salamander. He tells her wonderful stories about his friends in the woods, and she listens.
Then she starts growing up, and she doesn’t have as much time to spend with Salamander. She has other friends and they spend their days reading magazines and talking about boys. Every so often though, she bumps into Salamander and he tells her another story. Until one day…
This is a lovely story for anyone who loves to use their imagination in order to go to wild places or meet interesting characters. Its great for people of all ages, even adults, as they can reflect on times past when they were children with vivid imaginations.
The illustrations are darling and simple in black and green. The lines are clean and clear; almost child like in their simplicity, but that adds to the dreamlike quality.
This is a great addition to any collection. Suitable and easy to relate to in children of all ages.
Then she starts growing up, and she doesn’t have as much time to spend with Salamander. She has other friends and they spend their days reading magazines and talking about boys. Every so often though, she bumps into Salamander and he tells her another story. Until one day…
This is a lovely story for anyone who loves to use their imagination in order to go to wild places or meet interesting characters. Its great for people of all ages, even adults, as they can reflect on times past when they were children with vivid imaginations.
The illustrations are darling and simple in black and green. The lines are clean and clear; almost child like in their simplicity, but that adds to the dreamlike quality.
This is a great addition to any collection. Suitable and easy to relate to in children of all ages.
October 30, 2009
This is the perfect little book for all ages. Its about an eight-year-old girl named Hailey who spends her summers in the woods with Salamander. He tells her wonderful stories about his friends in the woods, and she listens.
Then she starts growing up, and she doesn’t have as much time to spend with Salamander. She has other friends and they spend their days reading magazines and talking about boys. Every so often though, she bumps into Salamander and he tells her another story. Until one day…
This is a lovely story for anyone who loves to use their imagination in order to go to wild places or meet interesting characters. Its great for people of all ages, even adults, as they can reflect on times past when they were children with vivid imaginations.
The illustrations are darling and simple in black and green. The lines are clean and clear; almost child like in their simplicity, but that adds to the dreamlike quality.
This is a great addition to any collection. Suitable and easy to relate to in children of all ages.
Then she starts growing up, and she doesn’t have as much time to spend with Salamander. She has other friends and they spend their days reading magazines and talking about boys. Every so often though, she bumps into Salamander and he tells her another story. Until one day…
This is a lovely story for anyone who loves to use their imagination in order to go to wild places or meet interesting characters. Its great for people of all ages, even adults, as they can reflect on times past when they were children with vivid imaginations.
The illustrations are darling and simple in black and green. The lines are clean and clear; almost child like in their simplicity, but that adds to the dreamlike quality.
This is a great addition to any collection. Suitable and easy to relate to in children of all ages.
May 15, 2010
Kind of strange.
For the most part, I liked the drawing style - but certain choices left me scratching my head. Some species are labeled - but not all, so why those ones? Are they symbolic of something? They aren't more central to the plot. Confusing. And every now and then, part of a panel is much more sketchy or scribbled instead of being fully inked - what was that about? Does it signify something, or is it just sloppy editing? I thought it might be transitions (e.g. from reality into imagination), but that doesn't seem to hold. So again, another head scratcher. The choice of handwriting font at the beginning of sections was really hard to decipher. And the story was just kind of "meh."
For the most part, I liked the drawing style - but certain choices left me scratching my head. Some species are labeled - but not all, so why those ones? Are they symbolic of something? They aren't more central to the plot. Confusing. And every now and then, part of a panel is much more sketchy or scribbled instead of being fully inked - what was that about? Does it signify something, or is it just sloppy editing? I thought it might be transitions (e.g. from reality into imagination), but that doesn't seem to hold. So again, another head scratcher. The choice of handwriting font at the beginning of sections was really hard to decipher. And the story was just kind of "meh."
October 17, 2014
A girl or all ages book with some sweetness in it about a girl who spends time with herself in the woods because there she can believe more easily in magic, and she befriends there an imaginary/magical Salamander girl character… many pages are wordless, swirling, magical fun. My seven year old girl sort of liked it, but thought it should be more colorful than the block print black and white and green it is. Each page is formatted differently, there's lots of movement in the pages but it somehow still feels a little flat to me…It's about imaginary friendships and/or maybe has its source in the girl's dream… but it's still pretty cute.
January 24, 2009
A wonderful, dreamlike graphic novel from the author of Chiggers and Gray Horses. It tells the story of a young girl named Hailey and her friendship with a wood spirit, Salamander, and how this friendship changes as both she and Salamander grow and change. It's told almost entirely in flowing, surreal images that evoke the natural world and the changing nature of Hailey's and Salamander's interactions. It's bittersweet, but clearly demonstrates that magic lives on and is passed on, even as we grow older.
June 21, 2008
A light and whimsical read.
To some, that may seem to belittle the book or Larson; that's not my intention.
There just wasn't much depth to this one (I think I read through it in 20-25 minutes), but then again I've never been a young a girl having to deal with losing the fantasy world of my youth as I become more attached to my surrounding reality as I get older.
P.S. -- the metaphorical sex scene at the end was slightly baffling. And a bit disturbing.
To some, that may seem to belittle the book or Larson; that's not my intention.
There just wasn't much depth to this one (I think I read through it in 20-25 minutes), but then again I've never been a young a girl having to deal with losing the fantasy world of my youth as I become more attached to my surrounding reality as I get older.
P.S. -- the metaphorical sex scene at the end was slightly baffling. And a bit disturbing.
September 3, 2008
a bittersweet story about a girl exploring nature, alone and with her friend Salamander. as she grows up, she plays more with human friends and comes out into the woods less. the illustrations are beautiful and are all in black, green, and white. speech balloons serpentine around nature, some of which is helpfully labeled. a story of childhood innocence with a slight sexual undertone. sweet and evocative.
January 3, 2012
This book, slight in page-count is enormous in subtext. It's a coming-of-age fable filled with fables. The fact that most of it is told minus text or without a solid explanation is a testament to how much faith she leaves in the reader, especially the audience this book was intended for. If you can find a copy, I would recommend cracking it open if only for the lovely color scheme and beautiful linework.
July 30, 2007
I read this when it was being published on-line at the "Secret Friends Society". Hope Larson's stories are very sweet, quiet and nostalgic. This one reminded me of the summers I spent outside in the woods behind my house making forts and playing pretend.
January 30, 2015
Beautiful little book about the friendship between Hailey and Salamander in a woods where it's just possible to believe in magic...
The dialogue is scant, but that's okay because the pictures tell the stories better than any words could. A nice graphic novel for middle school to adult readers.
The dialogue is scant, but that's okay because the pictures tell the stories better than any words could. A nice graphic novel for middle school to adult readers.
July 4, 2007
Brilliant work.
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June 9, 2008Quiet, gentle story about an imaginative girl, with a science/nature focus.
September 11, 2008
In the front of this book it says it's "for lost best friends." That about sums it up, just add the magic of summer, stories, & growing up & you've got it!
September 29, 2008
Beautiful and filled with longing.
August 24, 2009
Awww.
August 30, 2009
Stunning. Simply stunning. Especially the idea of the rounded-off panels and the decision not to border them in black.
January 5, 2010
A beautifully drawn graphic novel about a girl's adventures in the woods with Salamander.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews