Long hot days this time of year make me want to find a big, giant maple tree to spread a blanket out under, unpack a lunch full of cool veggies and fruit and lay back to begin a few hours of uninterrupted day dreaming.

Since the likelihood of that happening is less than the odds of me winning the lottery, we’ve turned to stories that take us there, even if it’s just for a few moments.

We’ve always been big fans of the fairies around here. Combine them with one of our most beloved children’s authors Jane Yolen and you get a fairy-world gem that can take our imaginations through any season.

Yolen and illustrator Jane Dyer bring Child of Faerie, Child of Earth to life with lyrical, rhyming words and otherworld illustrations of the secret lives of fairies that truly take you to another place.

This story of an unusual friendship between a human girl and a fairy boy makes the tiny person and I both want to jump right into the story and experience that world, and that friendship for ourselves. Magic and moonlight abound – two personal faves.

It’s one of those books we read over and over and over again, all in one sitting.

The tiny person likes to make sure that we are sticking with a theme, and day-dreamy seems to be where Yolen led us.

That’s where we discovered What Do You Dream by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

This quick read is a great day-dreamy guide to the the connection that everything has to the Earth from the perspective of a little girl on a lazy afternoon adventure.

She’s wondering what the trees and the wind are dreaming about, what the butterfly and the sun love.

Illustrator Joung Un Kim’s mix media paintings are fun and a bit child-like, giving this read the feel of a 7-year-old actually chatting up nature.

A nice pairing for a dreamy afternoon in the shade.

You can get both of these from the library or pick them up at your local independent book seller.

Remember our Last RDBC Post about Guides for Tiny Explorers? Well, Marieke and Jess won the guides. Drop me a line mommas and I’ll hook you up!