I Dream of a Journey by Akiko Miyakoshi
on March 3, 2020
ISBN: 152530478X
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

This book follows a hotel keeper and his life of solitude. All day, everyday, the hotel keeper meets people who travel far and wide, yet he spends all his days in the hotel only hearing their stories of adventures. At night, he dreams of traveling to far off places and of being free to explore. The book ends with the hotel keeper pondering packing his suitcase and leaving one day. How would his absence affect the people who expect him to be in one place all the time?

The melancholy tone combined with the greater implications of the hotel keeper’s impending departure lends itself more to an adult audience than the intended readers. Kids will enjoy the beautiful and whimsical colored pencil illustrations, but the greater subtleties of the story will be lost on them. Recommended for kids 6 and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME