Title: Dreamer Gabie
Subtitle: Flying Umbrella
Author: Ievgeniia Iermolenko
Translated by: Svitlana Kovalyshyn
Publisher: Ievgeniia Iermolenko
ISBN: 979-8-9860696-0-9
Pages: 38
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book
Reviewed by: Beth Adams
Pacific Book Review
Readers are right-away introduced to Gabriella, or just Gabie for short. Gabie is a pretty little girl with ginger hair and mischievous pigtails. So, I thought, how can pigtails be mischievous? Well, the way the author/illustrator Ievgeniia Iermolenko created the images for Gabie certainly gave her a mischievous look, and at this point – the start of the story – I knew I was going to read a quite clever and impressionable book. I was certainly not disappointed!
The story progresses smoothly and quickly, as Gabie gets an umbrella from her mother; she then opens it outside her house – on a bright and sunny day. The umbrella lifts Gabie up and away, as she magically flies over her house and neighborhood, passing birds and up into the clouds. Up in the clouds she meets Bobo, a purple Unicorn and they become friends. Gabie learns Bobo gives candy to squirrels and bunnies, but is confused because these little furry creatures don’t eat candy. Bobo tells Gabie the squirrels and bunnies give the candy to little children. Oh, that explains it, Gabie concluded.
Once readers take their own ‘leap of faith’ into believing a transparent umbrella can lift up, up and away Gabie, the rest of the book becomes a kind fantasy of friendly interactions. I especially enjoyed the concept of bouncing and frolicking on a cloud, like a giant marshmallow-trampoline, which is frankly what they look like when viewed closely. And where else would a purple Unicorn be napping, but in a cloud.
The adventure of Gabie in the sky is a fanciful sequence of little events which all children will enjoy imagining while reading, and the illustrations are done with award-winning artistic talent which will imprint the story into the youngsters’ minds. The combination of story text and illustrations pair beautifully in this children’s book, making Dreamer Gabie a must-have for families, especially ones with little girls. The drawings have a unique flair to the posturing of Gabie in each of her pictures, highlighting, yes, those mischievous pigtails!
Dreamer Gabie: Flying Umbrella makes me think there will be more episodes of Gabie, having other stories, by the talented Ievgeniia Iermolenko whose story and illustrations are beautiful and impressionable. Who knows what awaits Gabie in future books?
