Davy's Dream: A Young Boy's Adventure with Wild Orca Whales

by Paul Owen Lewis

74,000 copies soldDavy dreams of sailng with a pod of wild orca, the “wolves of the sea”.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, 1st Grade

64 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 1989

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are quite nice (deceptively simple) and the storyline is pleasantly whimsical and relaxed. A bit unbelievable but that's an integral part of the message so no problem there, and it is a children's book anyways so to be expected.

The only part that really bothered me was that there were several large, lovely illustrations that were spread across two pages, and the book itself doesn't lay flat so you kind of lose the middle parts of those spreads. I think they were playing with mixing smaller illustrations and larger ones to encourage a mix of text & image reflection on the part of the reader, but I wish there was a way to do that without missing out on any of the artwork. Maybe a larger book? I'm nitpicking here, I guess.

Overall, not a knock-your-socks-off kind of book, but very enjoyable as a whole. I don't have any kids to read it to but I imagine young animal-lovers and daydreamers would really like it.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was young Paul Owen Lewis came to my elementary school and read us this book. Then he showed a slideshow of the process of making the book. It really made an impression on me, from then on I wanted to illustrate children's books when I grew up. Well obviously that didn't pan out but it's still somewhere in my dreams. Also, this book, living near the Puget Sound, my elementary education on Coastal Indians, and the whale exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle all contributed to my life long love of Orca Whales. I would tell you about my exploits to find whales in the wild but that hardly seems appropriate for a book review and I'm already teetering on annoying.
Therefore let me sum up... this book has beautiful drawings, an imaginative story, and its a good length to read to small children.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read Davy's Dream years ago, but revisited this week. Still as awesome as I remembered

[Mariah Everett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This adorable, beautifully illustrated book was a real treat. It's about a boy who falls asleep and dreams of sailing with killer whales. With a little ingenuity, imagination (well sort of) and perseverance, the boy makes his dream come true. I met the author while doing my Practica at Glenwood Primary School in Battle Ground, WA (as I'm studying to be an Elementary School Teacher). Davy's Dream was his first ever published work, and every piece of it has deeper meaning. I loved hearing about how he wrote the book. It was very inspiring and the kid's loved his fantastic sense of humor! Would recommend for all ages!

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely story about a northwest coastal boy named Davy who is visited in his dreams by Orca friends. Adults don't believe him, but Davy knows dreams come true. The illustrations tell more of the story than the words do. Well worth a read!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my dads cousin. His books are all awesome. Very Pacific Northwesty and he does his own illustrations!