A Perfect Season for Dreaming, is a bilingual picture book written by Benjamin Saenz. This book tells the story of an elderly man in Mexico who is having strange dreams. He has a dream each day that animals, people, or objects are falling out of a Pinata. Each day the number of things in his dreams grows larger and larger.( 1 guitar, 2 turtles etc.) He hesitates to tell others about his dream because he does not want to be made fun of. However, he ends up telling his granddaughter his dream.

Is this a good story?
I really enjoyed this book because of how it is written in both Spanish and English. Also, in the English section of the book it has some Spanish words incorporated. I think that students would really enjoy this book. It would be great for ELL students. I also like that this book incorporates counting skills, each day there is one thing added to his dreams. This can visually show students simple counting.

Did the characters fit the setting?

Yes, I believe the characters in the book fit the story nicely. Octavio, the main character takes us through some of his family members and friends through the story. They are all from the same place and culture.

Is the setting authentic?
Yes, the story is authentic. It is in a small town in Mexico. I think many students would be able to relate to this book and culture.

Does the book transcend stereotypes? 
There are some stereotypes in this book, such as pinatas and mariachi bands talked about through out the book. However, it is not implying that all Mexican people like Marachi bands and pinatas. It is simply what Octavio likes and dreams about.

Lexile level: not shown

Bilingual: This book is bilingual and is written in both English and Spanish. This would be a great book for ELL students. However, I think this book would be better if the Spanish was written first and then the English.
Ellipses: This book uses ellipses. For an example, (He had the feeling he would have the best dreams of his life...)
Personification: This book has personification in it. The animals in his dreams dance and sing.

Mini Lesson: I think this book would be a great book to have students write about their silliest dreams. This would be a topic students would be very excited about.

Saenz, Benjamin. Valencia, Esau. (Illustrator) (2008) Cinco Punto Press.