Puma Dreams, a lyrical, panoramic beauty of a book, is the collaborative effort of award-winning writer Tony Johnston and renowned illustrator Jim LaMarche.
In this lyrical story, a young girl who lives in the country has a dream of seeing a puma—the elusive “ghost of the mountains.” Her Gram tells her she must be patient and that dreams require waiting, time and more than a little luck.
To try and lure a puma, the girl and her Gram buy a salt lick and place it in the meadow. Every day the girl watches with her binoculars as birds, mice, deer and elk nibble at the salt lick, but no puma appears. The girl grows tired of waiting, but she knows dreams take time.
One morning over breakfast, the girl senses something is about to happen. When she gazes out the window, she finally sees the puma, golden and magical—the dream she has waited for. Now that she has realized her dream, the girl begins to imagine a new dream of keeping pumas safe and making sure they always have places to roam free.
With gentle pastels, LaMarche creates sweeping vistas of mountains and prairies, the perfect puma habitat, and Johnston’s evocative language beautifully portrays a little girl’s longing.
