How dreams speak is a dream interpretation guide book that was pretty good. It wasn't a very long book but had a lot of information in it. It left me wanting a little bit more though so I felt it could have been longer.

How Dreams Speak is a richly detailed and beautifully presented 176-page guide to everything you need to know (and more) about dreams and dreaming. Not only is it fascinating and informative, but it is also vivid and beautiful to look at and features full-colour photography. Nicole Chilton is a multimedia abstract artist and writer who relies on the power of dreams to inspire creativity. She lives in Springfield, Missouri with her husband and two children who inspired her to begin illustrating her nightly dreams because they were tired of hearing about them. That then led to the birth of this book. We’ve all woken up with a start and thought, “What was that? What’s the deal with that rooster? And why do I feel like I’ve seen this all before?” We find dreams (at least our own!) endlessly interesting, but what are they actually saying about us? How Dreams Speak is a book to help untangle it all. Based on the belief that dreams are metaphorical messages from our unconscious minds, speaking to us to help unlock mysteries within, How Dreams Speak is an illustrated guide to our inner selves through the vehicle of our nightly adventures.

At its heart are more than 150 dream symbols and themes richly illustrated in watercolour and fully explained to help readers interpret their dreams. A dream symbol can be an object - a doll, for example, which might mean your inner child needs to come out and play. An animal, like a giraffe - Freud thought they were phallic, but a more likely meaning is that the dreamer needs to reach up to gain a new perspective. An event, like the classic flying - it’s time to concentrate on achieving your waking dreams, or goals. Or a colour, a feeling (running late), a concept (invisibility). Multiple prompts accompanying each symbol help the reader explore what their unconscious is trying to say - what a symbol truly means depends on both the dream and the dreamer. Chilton brings us the science behind dreaming, including the fact that everyone dreams (those who think they don’t are just not remembering), the history and philosophy of dream interpretation, the different types of dreams we have and tips on keeping a dream journal. A comprehensive and highly recommended guide to dreams and how to interpret them.

I love dreams and anything & everything sleep related. As others have mentioned, if you are looking for an in depth, comprehensive review of dreams and symbolism - this book isn't for you. The information in this book is very simplistic and light, probably perfect for beginners.

I really loved the tone and execution, it is so aesthetically pleasing. This book covers everything from colours & numbers to avocados & zombies. Really fun with cute & colourful illustrations to match.

Interesting book. The part about type of dreams was interesting and informative. When it comes to dreams, the book doesn’t have words and meanings like most dream books. This book has a word (ex. apple, apocalypse, storms, transportation, etc) and uses a whole page to give you a meaning and proposes some questions about the situation you dreamed of (what caused it?, what were the results?, etc.) and about how you felt. There are are about 125 pages of dreams, and since each word gets a page I felt there were many dream topics left out. It is possible that this book covers the main/most popular dreams, it also does cover colors and numbers, but I do wish it would cover more than about 125 of dream meanings. Besides the dream meaning pages there pages for the introduction, types of dreams, on how to remember dreams better, etc. One thing that does set this book apart from other dream books is that it does have a focus on the details of what happened in the dream (ex. if you are in an elevator: did it went up or down?, Were you alone?, How did you felt?) and how you felt about it.

When being aware of symbols is your thing, this book won't teach you much you don't already know. For example cards readers will find many familiar subjects.
It is however a great start for beginning dream explorers. Starting with stages and types of dreams, then moving on to an extensive list of everyday symbols, all accompanied by soft and pretty watercolor illustrations.
How Dreams Speak is written in clear accessible language, offering simple descriptions for the most common symbols, followed by helpful journaling prompts.
For those who want to delve deeper a long list of recommended reading is provided.

Thank you Netgalley and Workman Publishing Company for the ARC.

I am always in search of an amazing dream book, one with a unique and fresh perspective, one that goes beyond a traditional encyclopedia type interpretations. So each time I see a new dream book that looks promising, I get excited, as I did with this book. I rarely leave one star reviews, to say this book was a disappointment is an understatement.

It feels like this book was written for the sake of writing something. Usually books will tell you the symbolism and meaning of what you're dreaming of. If you have a dream of riding a dolphin it can mean "represents your optimism and social altruism. If you ride through huge waves, it suggests that you can navigate freely under adverse situations." -DreamMeaning.net.

In this book here is the interpretation goes into where dolphins live, oceans and some rivers around the globe. That they are air breathing mammals, the ways that they communicate, the greek mythology, that they are air breathing mammals and so on. Most things a 5th grader would know. None of this is relevant to helping you understand the meaning of your dream. Then the author goes on to ask you a series of questions like where were the the dolphins? Did you interact with the dolphins? and so on. It stops short and offers absolutely no further guidance or information. This would be like going to a mechanic and them asking you what do you think is wrong with your car or a psychic reading and to be told that the answers are within you. This is exactly how this book reads for me.

I am still looking forward to the day that someone releases a dream book beyond the traditional dictionary type flip book and creates something uniquely different more spiritually based than psychologically. Until then one is better off "googling" the meaning of their dreams and saving themselves not only a few dollars, but an exercise in frustration.

We all have those dreams that trouble us, linger around, and make us think “what in the world was that all about?” We may share our dream with family or friends in a soft quest to obtaining clarity, or hold it close and simmer with it.

This is a great book full of information about the symbolism of your dreams and what may have sparked that particular dream train to pull in to your dreaming station. There are ideas and suggestions given for things to do to help steer or change how you’re dreaming. The information presented, I feel, is a perfect introduction for anyone starting their journey into dream analysis and for getting in touch with the subconscious side of yourself through dreams. The information is presented in clear and precise manner, not overly technical or “garbled.” I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to find, through symbolism, what their dreams are saying to them.

My dream filled thank you to NetGalley, Workman Publishing Company, and the author Nicole Chilton for an ARC of this fascinating novel in exchange for my honest review and opinions.

A good introduction to a number of common symbols in dreams and helps with trying to understand why it might have shown up. Some other dream introductions.

This is a pretty good beginners books for understanding dreams. It is very informative on the science and symbols in dreams.

How Dreams Speak: An Interactive Journey into Your Subconscious (150+ Symbols, Illustrated and Fully Explained) by Nicole Chilton
How Dreams Speak is an informative guide to help in the understanding of dreams that perplex us at times. The book begins with giving the philosophy and the science of understanding some dreams. Keeping a journal of dreams is a helpful activity for reference. This author suggests writing every dream in a book or journal. I am happy there is a recipe for a dream pillow! You can also place a small bag of crystals under your pillow.
How Dreams Speak helps the reader to understand that not all dreams will be of great consequence, but others may be a visitation or a recurring dream. The guide also has explanations for some symbols, numbers, and colors.
If you have questions about some of your dreams, this book would be a good beginner's book to get you started.
Publication Date: July 20, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.