In the Meadow of Fantasies looks like it might be a funny book at first glance. It seems like it will have a humorous element due to the cover horse with a boat on its rump. However, while there are times when humor comes into play, this book is far from humorous. The seriousness of imagination is the focus of the book.
A young girl (you will realize is in a wheelchair by looking at the artistic illustrations of Nooshin Safakhoo) uses her horse mobile as inspiration for dreaming and her imagination. Her room is bold, representative of a curious inhabitant. And one that is ripe for the story of seven horses with unique colors, dreams, talents, homes. Except for one. That one is blank, but with the help of the others, finds their own uniqueness.
This book of caring and imagination was created by Hadi Mohammadi and translated by Sara Khalilli. You can feel that this was not originally in English due to an odd smoothness but also it is not completely “round feeling” as you can feel the edges of the text.
Safakhoo’s illustrations are almost abstract in their unique style. Horses have items coming from their head, the way the colors are given to the seventh horse could be surprising. They are colorful, but not overwhelming. The details can be busy but are not necessarily crowded. They are not for everyone, but most people will enjoy.
This is a sweet book. A book that is both beautiful and somber, plus light, and airy. Most ages will enjoy it, but it is aimed at the at least five and up crowd. It would almost be better for an adult, than child even, or at least an adult can appreciate it differently than a child would