- Picture Books
- Ages 4–8
- Fantasy
The Forest of Dreams
A lush, dreamlike picture book about a girl creating an enchanted forest from her imagination. A strong fit for families seeking art-led, unusual, folkloric picture books rather than mainstream comedy.
- Best for4–8
- FormatPicture
- Length48 pp
- Read aloud~10 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Literary
Tone
- Whimsical
- Gentle
- Adventurous
- Thought provoking
- Warm
Themes
- Creativity and imagination
- Magic and wonder
- Imagination and play
- Discovery
- Nature and environment
- Self acceptance
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The Forest of Dreams follows a young girl into an enchanted forest grown from the fabric of her imagination. With will, creativity and dreamlike attention, she moves through a vibrant ecosystem of translucent colours, strange creatures and hidden natural magic. Merve Atilgan's illustrations are the main draw: layered, decorative and unfamiliar in a way that gives the book a distinctive place among more conventional UK picture books. The story sits between bedtime dream, folktale and visual celebration of imagination. It is likely to appeal to children who enjoy secret worlds, forests, creatures and beautiful pages to explore slowly. It is especially useful as a high-curation discovery title: recent, visually distinctive, slightly off the beaten path, and strong for adults who want something artful and atmospheric.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 4–8
- Read aloud · 4–8
- Independent · 6–9
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
5 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Enchanted forest
- Dreams
- Beautiful illustrations
- Folktale feel
- Art led picture book
Avoid if
- Avoid recent until reviewed
- Wants clear comedy
- Prefers realistic stories
Particularly good for children who are…
- Interested in art and creativity
- Nightmares or fears
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A dreamy, imaginative picture book — a gentle read-aloud that sparks imagination and creative talk.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific delight is the translucent layers — a girl walking through a forest grown from her imagination, dreamlike creatures and hidden natural magic on every spread. The Merve Atilgan picture book that doesn't look like other UK picture books.
- Secret world
- Magic powers
- Adventure and freedom
Why parents love it
The Merve Atilgan picture book — layered decorative illustration giving the book a distinctive place outside the UK mainstream, dream-bedtime-folktale-art-celebration shape. Strong high-curation discovery title for adults wanting something artful.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Bedtime appropriate
- Indie gem discovery
- Conversation starter
About the author & illustrator
Merve Atilgan.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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