When Liam's sister dies, his world turns grey. He spends hours watching clouds crossing the wintry skies, hoping that Cassie is out there somewhere.

On the night before Liam's birthday, Cassie sails the Sky Dreamer to their home and drops anchor in a ghost gum tree. She invites Liam to climb aboard, and together the children go sailing through the Milky Way. But there are lessons Liam must learn before the Sky Dreamer returns home.

The Sky Dreamer is an achingly beautiful and ultimately comforting picture book about a young child learning to take control of his life after the death of a loved one.

This title was supported by the Australia Council in its 2010 Grants round.

This title is available from Amazon (Kindle), the iBookstore (Apple), and from IP Sales in eBook + audio versions: French (Le bateau de rêves), German (Das Boot der Träume) and English. The iBookstore version is an ePub version; IP Sales edition is a pdf.

French version, with audio

English version, with audio

Reviews

In a very sensitive and gentle way, this book invites the reader to experience the journey of a child coping with grief after the death of a sibling.

On the night before Liam's birthday he experiences a dream connection with his sister, Cassie as she arrives in her boat the Sky Dreamer, floating just outside his window above a silver ghost gum. Cassie welcomes her brother aboard and off they sail into many adventures while Cassie sews her brother a birthday present. As they journey through the sky, Cassie encourages Liam to learn to sail the Sky Dreamer by himself through the many hazards of thunder, lightning, meteorites, past distant planets and comets. Gradually he gains confidence to steer on his own and all the while his sister sews his birthday present. As daylight appears, Liam leaves the Sky Dreamer with his special birthday present, which will brighten his life.

Liam's journey with Cassie in the Sky Dreamer is a beautiful analogy of a child's journey through the grey times of the grief to very gradually learning to live without a sibling and once again experience the sunny, happy times. The dreamlike quality and changing colours of the beautiful illustrations reflect the emotions that Liam experiences as he learns to steer the Sky Dreamer. His stark, grey world of grief is mirrored in the grey tones of the background as he stares at the cloud formations in the sky. This contrasts with the changing colours in illustrations throughout the narrative, ending with the sunny colours of the final illustration.

This beautiful book very gently explores the process of loss and healing and would be very comforting to share with a child going through this process.

– Margaret Warner, Buzz Words

Liam is grieving for his sister, Cassie, who has died. The night before his birthday, she visits him, warm and happy, aboard a flying sailboat called The Sky Dreamer. Cassie encourages Liam to sail the little boat through deepest, darkest space, while she continues to quietly sew his birthday present.

When they finally make their way home, Cassie leaves him again. But now, Liam has navigated his way through his loss and grief, and has his gift of her love to help him find warmth and happiness in his life.

This is a wonderful book for children dealing with grief, from a talented Tasmanian author.

– Dani Colvin, Sunday Tasmanian

Liam is grieving over the death of sister Cassie and the world seems grey. One night Cassie calls him to come with her in a boat called The Sky Dreamer. As they float through space, Cassie sits sewing while Liam struggles with his fears as they are battered by storms and meteorites. Finally Liam plucks up courage to take the wheel and steer the boat himself. After galactic adventures, they arrive home, where Cassie gives Liam the special gift she has been sewing. While the story is rather flat the illustrations are the major appeal of this book. From the depressing greys, which initially echo Liam’s mood, we move swiftly to a beautiful varied palette of rainbow colors in mixed media (paint, crayon, Hessian prints) as the artist engages from the enchanting cover and endpapers through the dreamlike journey across the universe. Despite the beauty of the illustrations, however, it is a little difficult to predict the readership, as adult guidance is probably needed for a child to get the full emotional impact of the story.

–CM, Reading Time

The Sky Dreamer is one of those special stories designed to reach a specific audience: in this case siblings of children who have passed away.

The Sky Dreamer tells of a sad little boy called Liam. Having lost his sister recently to a terminal illness, he is struggling to cope with the grief and focus on the present, even with his birthday imminent. Feeling lost and lonely, Liam’s imagination takes him away on a voyage in a beautiful ship adorned with rainbow sails, with his precious sister Cassie. The journey takes Liam out of his comfort zone. It shows him beauty and colour, fear, how to be strong, and the lessons he needs to learn so that he can cope. Cassie’s gift to Liam is comfort and love.

Dr. Anne Morgan has explored an important topic for anyone affected by the grief of losing a loved one; for children in particular it is so much more confusing and hard to understand. She has used her own personal experience to create this sensitive and touching tale to be shared.

A must for children experiencing grief.

– Angela Hall, Bug in a Book

The Sky Dreamer is a touching children’s picture book written by Anne Morgan and illustrated by Celine Eimann. It was published by IP Kidz in 2011.

When Liam’s sister dies, his world turns grey. He spends hours watching clouds crossing the wintry skies, hoping that Cassie is out there somewhere. The night before Liam’s birthday, Cassie sails the Sky Dreamer to their home and invites Liam to climb aboard. Together they sail through the sky while Cassie sews Liam’s birthday present.

But just like in real life - it’s not always smooth sailing.

Along the way there are thunderclouds, lightning, and a storm of meteorites. "Help me, please!" Liam begs. But Cassie keeps sewing. Cassie is only there to guide him, it’s up to Liam to steer himself out of the grim, grey fog and take control of his life.

The Sky Dreamer is one those books where the author and illustrator have done an extraordinary job approaching a difficult subject like death. Even though it is ultimately about the death, I believe it encourages children to explore their emotions in many situations where they may be grieving or need to be strong and independent when they’d rather run and hide.

Eimann’s whimsical illustrations are a mixture of soft pencil and swirls of pastel paint. The pages start completely grey and grow to splashes of dreamy colour.

At the end, Cassie leaves Liam with a precious rainbow cloak that she has sewn to keep him warm, safe, and to brighten his life.

The Sky Dreamer is a comforting children’s picture book that allows children to recognise their emotions and take control of their life after the death of a loved one, just as Liam has done.

– Renee Taprell, The Book Chook