In Your Dreams by Sally Morgan tells the story of a young girl who has to write an essay about who she wants to be when she grows up but she has a hard time knowing what that is. Throughout the course of the book, she has three different dreams that could lead her to different careers, but after receiving help from her grandma, Susie discovers that she wants to become an artist. Her parents try to discourage her from being an artist and encourage her to pursue a career as a doctor or lawyer, but she doesn’t agree with her parents. She decides to enter into an art contest and she wins, convincing her parents and herself that she is capable of becoming an artist.

Author Bio:

Sally Morgan was born in Perth, in 1951. She has published books for both adults and children, including her acclaimed autobiography, My Place. She has also established a national reputation as an artist and has works in many private and public collections.

• Kids Own Australian Literature Awards (Honour Award 2021)
• Adelaide Festival Children’s Literature Award (Shortlisted 2018)
• Prime Minister’s Literary Award (Winner 2016)
• Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards (Honour Book 2016)
• Victorian Premier’s Literary Award (Shortlisted 2016)
• Inky Awards (Shortlisted 2016)
• Children’s Book Council of Australia (Notable Book 1998,2012)
• Order of Australia Book Prize (Winner 1990)
• Human Rights Award for Literature (Winner 1987)
• NSW Premier’s Literary Award (Shortlisted 1987)

Illustrator Bio:

Bronwyn Bancroft is a descendant of the Bunjalung people of New South Wales, and she grew up in the small country town of Tenterfield. As an artist with an international reputation, her work is represented in galleries throughout Australia and the world. Bronwyn enjoys illustrating as it allows for the wider distribution of Indigenous stories which for a long time have been overlooked.

Review:

“I enjoyed reading this book and I think it would be good to read to elementary students because it empowers them to think for themselves and to pursue the career that they want, even if it’s challenging and even if people oppose them. I also really like the illustrations and the overall plot of the story. An activity that would go along well with this book would be for students to write out their own dream career. Students would have to do something reasonable (for example, no fairy unicorns or dragon slayer answers allowed), but they would be encouraged to think outside the box and to pick something they think that they would enjoy. We could then do a share time where each student would get to tell the class about what they would want to do and why”

• Soft cover (Picture book)
• Age range 5+
• Full Colour
• 32 Page