Justine Avery’s I Dreamed You is a children’s picture book in poetic form that relates to the character of the baby from the mother’s perspective of how much the child is needed and wanted. The narration of the speaker is wonderfully earnest to such a degree that there’s this unique element of comfort that pervades each and every page from the words to the illustrations. This has a way of transporting you back to a time when you were young and just brought into the world. The two sentences that struck me the most were on page fourteen. “And I am stronger. For you, I am new.” The illustrations by Ema Tepic create a lasting impression to go along with the poem. They have a strong unique quality, looking like a mixture of paint and drawing. The pastel colorations also bring about an older world type of setting that enhances the storyline.

Justine Avery and Ema Tepic’s I Dreamed You took me back into my own childhood. There was something so incredibly special about the language and the honesty in the book that made me gravitate to it instantly. New mothers, the soon-to-be mothers, and older mothers would also find this a great book to read over and over again. There is a connection present in Justine Avery’s I Dreamed You that any woman or man would be able to appreciate and experience, as even those of us who might not ever become mothers or fathers ourselves are the offspring of others and will feel the love of the parental perception.

I Dreamed You is a children’s book about a mother talking to her child of how she dreamed about them before they had even come to be. The book was penned by Justine Avery and illustrated by Ema Tepic. The story is written in rhyme and formed into quatrains to give it a consistent meter. In style, I Dreamed You reminds me a bit of I’ll Love You Forever in that it’s centered around the love a parent has for their child and there are elements of poetry in each. The difference between the two is that I Dreamed You stays with the same rhyme scheme from start to finish, instead of deviating for its 'abcb' pattern.

Reading Justine Avery’s book, I felt there is a very tender side to it that is sure to either reflect on the love you have for your own parents or the parental love you have for your child. The book is dedicated to the author's child who is lovingly referred to as Boopsie on the author page and the strong feelings Avery has come across in every word. While the book sticks with a consistent rhyming pattern to give the story a light feel, it does break its meter occasionally which can cause a choppy read at times. The accompanying art by Ema Tepic is beautiful and enhances the warm atmosphere of the story. All in all, I Dreamed You is a charming story with a delightfully light rhyming tone and gorgeous illustrations to top it off. This book would be a wonderful addition to a bedtime story ritual as children are bound to love it.