Someday, your daughter’s going to be something big.
She’ll be very famous — she’s absolutely certain. Lots of people will want her autograph, photographers will scream for her picture, she’ll be performing every night, and everyone will clap uproariously.
Teach your future “American Idol” contestant that it’s going to take a bit of practice to reach her dreams with “Santiago the Dreamer in Land Among the Stars” by Ricky Martin.
From the time he was just a tiny boy, Santiago wanted to be a star.
He wanted to sing onstage, and maybe act. He wanted to see his name in lights. So when auditions were held for the annual school play, he decided to try out.
When he got there, another boy was auditioning and that kid was good. When it was Santiago’s turn to perform, he felt nervous. Everyone laughed at him, and he was embarrassed.
That night, Santiago was sad when he told his father that he didn’t get the part. But his father wasn’t worried.
“Never give up,” Papa said. “And no matter what you choose, always reach for the moon!”
Santiago fell asleep, thinking about what his father said. That night, he dreamed that he was a teacher, helping kids and inspiring them. Then he was a pilot in a “big jet,” flying across the sky. He was a doctor, then an astronaut, then a famous dinosaur hunter, and a world-class baseball player. And then the best part of the whole night — Santiago dreamed that he was in front of a big crowd that was chanting his name!
It was all so amazing that he decided to practice the things he loved doing. He practiced dancing every chance he got. He sang at home and at school, inside and outside. He practiced so much that when something unexpected happened, Santiago the Dreamer had his eyes wide open!
I liked “Santiago the Dreamer in Land Among the Stars.” Martin offers his readers a feel-good story, and artist Patricia Castelao adds some of the most appealing illustrations I’ve seen in a good long while. The problem, I fear, is that the ending of the book — which seemed like it was lifted off a motivational poster — might be lost on fans of picture books. Will your 3-to-6-year-old grasp the meaning here? Would an older child consider a picture book to be too babyish?
Still, I keep looking at the illustrations and this story and I can’t not recommend it. Kids with imagination and vision might like it just fine. For them, “Santiago the Dreamer in Land among the Stars” could be the start of something big.
“Santiago the Dreamer in Land Among the Stars,” by Ricky Martin [32 pages, 2013, $17.99].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
