3.5 stars ⭐

this was sooooooo cute!!! I really related with him, I want to travel for a few months but I'm afraid of leaving my grandpa :c just thinking about leaving him makes me tear up.

This book is lovely, but I expect it will resonate far more with adults than children. (I don’t need any more of the 100 required characters to elaborate).

There aren't many picture books that I want to add to my own collection of books but this is one of them. The vintage style illustrations, the lack of character names, the theme of daydreaming/dreaming, and the idea that travel gives us freedom are just some of the reasons this book found a place in my heart. An innkeeper who meets many travelers longs to have his own travels but worries about leaving at the same time. As a reader you get to decide the ending since it is left open to interpretation. Everyone from 5 - 99 will love this book.

“One day, I might just set off on a journey.”

The innkeeper (a badger?) of The Solitude Hotel greets travelers day in and day out, yet has never traveled himself. But does he dream of visiting the former guests who send him postcards and letters from their current travels! Of taking an airplane, a car, a train, even a bicycle and seeing the sights! Will our narrator take that final step?

The pictures — whether the black-and-white illustrations of the innkeeper’s workaday life or the dreamy pastels of his travel dreams and daydreams — will prove more attractive to adults than to the children to whom they read. And that’s absolutely all right. I enjoyed this wistful book about the importance of keeping your possibilities open.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful and dreamy, the illustrations remind me some of Chris Van Allsburg. I'm not sure of the appeal to kids, at least young ones, my daughter got pretty quickly distracted, although the slightly sleepy tone might be good for right before bedtime. I, on the other hand, loved it. There's such longing and melancholy here. I loved that it wasn't a 'lesson' book, there was no easy answer, either "yes go out and travel" or "be happy with what you have here at home", it was more of a journey into the emotion of "what if". The innkeeper is happy with their life in a small town where they know everyone and everything, and they clearly get joy from the correspondence of past guests, they know they would miss this if they went and traveled. They also would like to have seen more of the world and the thought that they still could someday clearly brings them joy.

I'm at a point in my life where I feel like that a lot. Married, midthirties, two young kids. I wouldn't change what I have for the world, and I would miss my kids so much if I went on a trip without them. But I still wonder what if sometimes. In my next life, I'll move to NYC after school and stay single for a while and focus on friends and career and be a bit more selfish. It's not that I want to ditch what I have, it's that I want to experience those other possibilities. That's what this book is like. That slight longing that tinges all your choices. So I'm not sure if young children are going to appreciate that feeling, or if they will feel that the pace is slow and just enjoy the beautiful art, but this may be a decent gift for young adults who are already getting many copies of Oh, the Places You'll Go!.

Akiko Miyakoshi has done it again. This book filled me with such joy and sadness. Growing up in a small town I felt exactly like the hotel owner, dreaming about going away and seeing the world. I’ve finally accomplished my dream and get to see a bit of the world piece by piece. This book is such a fantastic example of dreams and how they keep us going. The illustrations are simplistic but had a nostalgic tone that made me want to curl up with a blanket and cup of tea. I definitely recommend this book to all the dreamers.

A lonely hotel owner in a small town dreams of traveling the world. He longs to visit the places that his guests are from. He spends his nights looking at their postcards and thinking about what kind of journey he may take.

Let me just say, this book wrecked me emotionally. It caught my attention from the first page, because the illustrations are ah-may-zing! So detailed and they really capture the mood of the story. I feel like we all know that person, a person that's never left home, everyone knows and loves them, they're a town staple. Some of us may even be that person. We wonder if they'll ever leave, if they even want to leave.

In short, this book is a must read.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.*

This is my second book by Akiko Myakoshi and I expected charming dreamlike illustrations in her trademark style and a gentle subtle story. The book didn't disappoint -it is beautiful and evocative in the best possible way.
The protagonist of the book, the owner of a place aptly named The Solitude Hotel, likes his job of welcoming guests from all over the world. He likes making them feel comfortable and telling them the stories of his little town. But at night he enters a different world, the world where he is a brave traveller and explorer of unknown places, full of joy and happiness for seeing his old friends and amazing landscapes, cherishing these special moments and being ready for unexpected. The contrast between soft black and white of his daily routine and soft and pastel colours of his dreams is stunning. It is as if his dreams are full of sunshine and are glowing from within. The room where he keeps notes and postcards from his friends seems to be the only colourful place in his hotel. It is the place that is singing with possibility and opportunity, and it is important for both children and adults to think big and reach in their imagination to far away countries where things are different from our usual daily life. Will he ever pack his suitcase and set off on a journey? I believe so. In the last sequence the colours are back to black and white, but he is travelling, so perhaps he is closer now to making these dreams reality.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion

I thought that the basis for this story was lovely and I really enjoyed reading it as an adult.

The only thing I didn't really like as a parent was that the images were a little too dark for me in nature and I would have preferred them to be a bit brighter as I think that would have given the story a more hopeful impression to younger readers, but that is just my personal opinion.

The story has a great flow to it and the author has told it really well. It is 4 stars from me for this one, highly recommended!

**I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.**

What a beautiful book. This children's book follows an innkeeper who has been doing the same thing over and over his entire life. He has a lust for travel and desire to meet new people and explore new places but he has a hard time finding the courage to leave the familiar behind. This book is entirely relatable amongst children and adults alike and it's beautifully written and illustrated.

#idreamofajourney #netgalley

And warm and thoughtfully-paced slice-of-life look at the owner of the Solitude Hotel, who longs to travel as his guests do. He dreams of going to new places and meeting up with the people he has met at the hotel. The pacing is slow and inviting, allowing plenty of space for the reader’s mind to wander and contemplate each spread. The stunning illustrations call to mind the great works of Chris Van Allsburg, Shaun Tan, and Raymond Briggs. This book reads like a long, graceful poem and I would recommend it to attentive young readers.

ARC...Beautiful, warm and dream like alias a cozy hotel room in a faraway place. I like and understand the owner's longing to go faraway with the guests describing their experience yet these guests have come to experience his "exotic" world which he is happy to share with!

The Solitude Hotel is always in black and white, apart from the room that's decorated with copious letters and postcards from elsewhere, and apart from the owner's dreams of hitting the road and finding a world to explore. Oh, if only he could. You do end up really feeling for the guy, in this wonderful, nay beautiful, book. From the off the artwork was only going to get five stars, and the short story more or less matches, as we see the lonely hotel proprietor respond to all the letters he gets from his guests on their return, or their next travels. I suppose the routine thing for the age range this is aimed at would be to show the moral, to show the benefit of putting one foot forward, but the fact that that more or less remains a pipe dream here doesn't lost much of the impact. A delight.

I went into this book with fairly high expectations, given that I've enjoyed the other books I've read by this author. Sadly, I Dream of a Journey just didn't work that well for me. It seems to lack the magic of The Piano Recital and The Tea Party in the Woods that so intrigued me when I read those books. In contrast, I Dream of a Journey seems more like a lament for adults, with a main character dreaming of the day he can leave his responsibilities behind and live the life he truly dreams of. I'm not sure how well that message is going to resonate with kids.

The illustrations are interesting, with black-and-white drawings of the innkeeper's everyday life contrasting with colourful dream sequences. Various anthropomorphized animals make up the cast of characters. The pictures have a certain charm, and will likely appeal to Miyakoshi's fans.

But the story is just a little too melancholy and... well, mature. It seems to be more about missed opportunities, regrets, and living vicariously through those around us. While the book does end on a hopeful note, the whole tone of the story seems just a little too gloomy and adult for the intended audience.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. I found the text less interesting but then it probably doesn't need to be, because the illustrations are so detailed and clever. This probably isn't a typical picture book for a small child but is a really lovely book to share and think about.

I love the soft colors in the illustrations. The contrast between the innkeepers dreams and his awake states is beautiful with the monotone daytime and the colorful dreams.

The writing is simple and sweet. This innkeeper travels vicariously through his friends and guests. I thought it was beautiful the way he travels. This longing he has for far away places is a bit sad, but the opportunity is there and that’s so wonderful.

I Dream of a Journey by Akiko Miyakoshi is a gem of a book that will resonate with adult readers every bit as much as it will with children. This is a story about longing, and finding the courage within yourself to leave what is comfortable in search of new and exciting possibilities. The use of black and white to illustrate the familiar, and vibrant hues to represent adventure is truly inspired and most impactful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for this ARC.

This book is stunningly beautiful, the lighting in the artwork is glorious, the palette alternating between black, white and grey and then soft yet somehow still vibrant colors is perfection. A wonderful book to gift, and a must add to one's picture book collection.