Ezra’s Books



Macmillan (now Viking), 1974

It’s late, and everyone is asleep except Roberto. Looking out his window, he sees Archie’s cat trapped by a big dog. Roberto doesn’t know what to do. Then something incredible happens: the cat is saved by the most surprising hero ever! Swirls of color evoke the dreamlike yet intense beauty of a summer night.

Take a Closer Look

Dream-Essay-2In Dreams, Ezra uses marbling, one of his favorite painting techniques, to great effect. Dark swirls of paint dramatize the dark summer sky, while bright ones shine through the windows of Roberto’s apartment building as Ezra tells us that “everybody was dreaming.” Late at night, Roberto sees a dog terrorizing Archie’s cat and accidentally knocks a paper mouse he made in school off the window sill. Down it falls, casting a bigger and bigger shadow on the wall, until it scares away the dog. The shadow looks truly frightening, even though we know it is only a paper mouse. Was Roberto’s adventure, with its danger, action and victory, “real” or a glorious dream?

Look Beyond the Book