In the Meadow of Fantasies

$12.00 – $20.00

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By Hadi Mohammadi

Illustrated by Nooshin Safakhoo

Translated from the Persian by Sara Khalili

A 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book 

A young girl, who spends her day in bed and in a wheelchair, gazes up at a mobile of spinning horses. As she watches them prance about, the tufted snout of a real live horse peeks through her bedroom door. Soon enough, our protagonist is out and cantering on an adventure with seven majestic horses. The first six are easily understood: their colors, dreams, families, and origins are described and accompanied with exquisite drawings. The seventh horse, however, is an enigmatic creature with no clear hue or history, a lack that is soon filled in by the loving offerings of the other ponies. A story about dreaming and about caring for others, In the Meadow of Fantasies will stir reveries in young readers and conjure new fantasies of friendly creatures in far off lands.

Published on November 2nd, 2021
This book was made possible with the generous support of the Jan Michalski Foundation.

Praise

  • Repeated poetic refrains and imaginative illustrations combine to create a compelling tale from the rich storytelling tradition of Iran.

  • In this imaginative adventure, a girl and seven horses embark on a fantastical journey. This is a lyrical parable that invites multiple readings and interpretations as the horses gather to share their visions and dreams. The poetic language and stunning illustrations effortlessly coalesce into themes of wonder and delightful discovery.

  • Not a folktale, not a poem, not a dream, but some whirling mixture of the three, this lulling recitation by Iranian author Mohammadi affirms generosity as a natural impulse . . . Repeating phrases and softly amusing drawings give this imaginative realm of loving-kindness a gossamer touch.

  • In this imaginative adventure, a girl and seven horses embark on a fantastical journey. This is a lyrical parable that invites multiple readings and interpretations as the horses gather to share their visions and dreams. The poetic language and stunning illustrations effortlessly coalesce into themes of wonder and delightful discovery.

  • When you pick up this book, you are holding something precious in your hands—a velvety, folkloric tale of seven horses and the young disabled girl who dreams of them from her bedroom. Of the seven sweet, beautiful horses, one is without a color, a home, a dream. But the other six horses share with the seventh, and everything is lovely, and the little girl is happy. Nooshin Safakhoo's breathtaking illustrations left me sighing in awe and contentment. A dream of a book!

  • Between the captivating art, the lyrical narration, and the fantastical story, readers will be swept away into a little girl's wonderland . . . In the Meadow of Fantasies is an ode to imagination and a celebration of beautiful creation.

  • This fantastical adventure draws readers in with lyrical text and mesmerizing illustrations. Each page turn reveals a new layer of fantasy . . . Deft composition pairs slightly rough, stonelike textures with exquisite details . . . Though the story is ultimately joyous, there’s an emotionally compelling sense of longing that thrums just under the surface.

  • Delicate pen-and-ink drawings filled with watercolor wash relate a dreamy story of a little girl confined to bed . . . The girl’s legs are encased in splints, but a spinning mobile of horses overhead provides comfort and diversion . . . I especially enjoyed the animals arrayed at a dinner table with plates of grass, each with their fanciful dreams erupting from the heads.

  • I was in love with Nooshin Safakhoo’s drawings from the first time I saw them. Every line she draws is hers and no one else’s.

  • Poetic language, repetitive phrasing and glorious illustrations evoke ancient Persian literature. This story about the value of generosity and sharing will appeal to young children today. Moreover, this is a delightful book to be savoured more than once.

  • Characters with disabilities are rare in children’s books and even rarer is a character with a disability who gets to be a character first, rather than serving as a teachable moment or discussion point for inclusion and diversity. To have the opportunity to read an engaging and enchanting story with a protagonist as one with a disability—not to mention, a story in translation—is a joy.

  • Part fable, part fairy tale, Mohammadi's story feels both timeless and contemporary. A little girl imagines the horses of a mobile above her bed and soon enough they come alive. In her fantasy, six horses lend parts of themselves—their color, their homes, even their dreams—to a seventh horse. This book is about the ways we are created by the people, culture, and community around us. Safakhoo's illustrations are gloriously full of expression and movement.

  • In the Meadow of Fantasies is a magical reading experience as it brings a folkloric tale to life. A must read children’s story!

  • The story of one girl's imaginative escape from her own time and place . . . In the Meadow of Fantasies [is] full of color and life.

  • A haunting fairy tale about the worlds built by simple acts of generosity, this picture book follows a girl and her seven imaginary horses—some of whom are blessed with gifts like homes, and dreams, and shades of being, but one of whom is not. The seventh horse benefits from the kindness of the rest. Delicate line illustrations with dazzling touches—pools of color; trees sprouting from imaginative heads; moonlit celebrations—are used to follow along as he, and the girl, blossom.

  • This is a joyful book about sharing and imagination – simply drawn in a palette of mainly natural colours one would find in nature . . . A wonderful opportunity to read a work in translation and appreciate the worldwide message that we all need fantasies and imagination.

  • Hadi Mohammadi’s evocatively named In the Meadow of Fantasies . . . tells a tender and beguiling story about a child’s imagination and is a story of generosity . . . There is an underlying joy that permeates the story, as we see the girl — and it’s understood that she’s not able to get about on her own two feet — run and engage in imaginative play with the seven horses. She, in essence, creates her own agency with her imagination.

  • In the Meadow of Fantasies is a gently profound book on sharing, imagination, and caring for others.

  • The story works using repetition so the child can learn the words and join in . . . Your child is going to love it and will want to read it over and over again. It's a perfect book to start introducing reading and counting . . . An amazing book to sit and read together.

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