The Daydreamer (novel) facts for kids
First edition
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| Country | United Kingdom |
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| Language | English |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
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Publication date
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1994 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 144 |
| ISBN | 0-224-03671-8 |
The Daydreamer is a children's novel from 1994. It was written by the British author Ian McEwan and illustrated by Anthony Browne. The book was first published by Jonathan Cape.
The story gets its main idea from a 1966 movie also called The Daydreamer. In that film, a young boy daydreams and enters the magical world of Hans Christian Andersen stories. Many people see this book as Ian McEwan's first novel written especially for children. He had also written a picture book called Rose Blanche in 1985.
Exploring Peter's Wild Daydreams
This book tells seven connected stories about a young boy named Peter Fortune. Peter loves to daydream, and his daydreams often lead him into amazing and sometimes funny situations.
- He finds a special cream that makes people disappear. He even makes his own family vanish!
- Peter faces a bully. He thinks that life is just a dream, so he has nothing to lose. This helps him bravely stand up to the bully.
- He switches bodies with his pet cat. He then has to fight off a new stray cat that tries to take over.
- Peter turns into his baby cousin. He gets to experience all the fun and simple joys of being a toddler again.
- His sister's dolls suddenly come to life. They even try to attack him!
- He imagines that his old neighbor becomes a thief. This leads to some unexpected adventures.
- In the final story, Peter turns into an adult. He discovers that grown-up lives are not as boring as he once thought.
Peter is 10 years old when the book begins. By the end of the novel, he has turned 12.
How the Book Was Published
The Daydreamer was first released by Jonathan Cape in 1994. Since then, it has been translated into many different languages. Publishers like Vintage have also reprinted the book.
As he wrote the stories, Ian McEwan would read them aloud to his own children. In one interview, he mentioned that he was a lot like Peter when he was a child. He described himself as "quiet, pale, dreamy" and someone who preferred having just a few close friends.
