{"id":8177,"date":"2026-05-01T11:42:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T03:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/?p=8177"},"modified":"2026-05-01T11:42:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T03:42:29","slug":"effie_lada_2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2026\/05\/01\/effie_lada_2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The oth\u00ader side of dreams is a bet\u00adter ver\u00adsion of your\u00adself."},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cIn My Dreams\u201d is a dream\u00adlike work by Greek pic\u00adture book artist Effie Lada (1959~). It brings us a dream world full of poet\u00adry and imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion, con\u00advey\u00ading a beau\u00adty that tran\u00adscends real\u00adi\u00adty and a pro\u00adfound emo\u00adtion\u00adal expe\u00adri\u00adence to read\u00aders of all ages. It focus\u00ades on dreams and explores the themes of dreams and growth, and dreams and self-aware\u00adness. Although this is the first time Effie Lada\u2019s work has been intro\u00adduced to Chi\u00adna, she has actu\u00adal\u00adly been in the indus\u00adtry for many years and enjoys a high rep\u00adu\u00adta\u00adtion on the world pic\u00adture book stage. She has been nom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded for the Astrid Lind\u00adgren Memo\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal Award and the Hans Chris\u00adt\u00adian Ander\u00adsen Award, and her works are beloved by read\u00aders in Europe and Amer\u00adi\u00adca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first impres\u00adsion this book gives read\u00aders is its strik\u00ading visu\u00adal impact. The exten\u00adsive use of soft pen\u00adcil draw\u00adings cre\u00adates a slight\u00adly hazy, dream\u00adlike qual\u00adi\u00adty. Rada\u2019s style is del\u00adi\u00adcate and expres\u00adsive; many scenes are filled with a fairy\u00adtale-like fan\u00adta\u00adsy, such as chil\u00addren float\u00ading on feath\u00aders or walk\u00ading in the dark in shim\u00admer\u00ading clothes. These images clev\u00ader\u00adly inter\u00adtwine real\u00adi\u00adty and dreams, blur\u00adring the lines between the two. In fact, some crit\u00adics noticed Rada\u2019s dream\u00adlike style ear\u00adly on: \u201cHer del\u00adi\u00adcate fig\u00adures always seem to be danc\u00ading, as if they are nev\u00ader tru\u00adly on the ground. Influ\u00adenced by nat\u00adur\u00adal ele\u00adments and emo\u00adtions, these fig\u00adures often bend and sway to deeply reveal their inner world.\u201d This visu\u00adal treat\u00adment always evokes a sense of fan\u00adtas\u00adti\u00adcal detach\u00adment from real\u00adi\u00adty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s even more unique is that the book uses translu\u00adcent trac\u00ading paper as inserts, placed between the black and white illus\u00adtra\u00adtions on the dou\u00adble-page spread. As read\u00aders turn the pages, the orig\u00adi\u00adnal\u00adly sim\u00adple images become more lay\u00adered due to the col\u00ador\u00adful pat\u00adterns on the trac\u00ading paper, fur\u00adther enhanc\u00ading the ambi\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adty and mys\u00adtery of the dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For exam\u00adple, on pages 20\u201321, \u201cI dream that I get out of my bed and I walk and walk and walk \u2026\u201d, in the black and white illus\u00adtra\u00adtion, a half-asleep girl wan\u00adders out of the room, head\u00ading to the right, but her des\u00adti\u00adna\u00adtion is unclear; at this moment, on the trac\u00ading paper, a col\u00ador\u00adful bus is dri\u00adving towards the right edge of the page, and strange\u00adly, judg\u00ading from the dot\u00adted line of the bus\u2019s move\u00adment, it delib\u00ader\u00adate\u00adly avoids a hedge\u00adhog in the road; and turn\u00ading the trac\u00ading paper, the bus is dri\u00adving in the oppo\u00adsite direc\u00adtion on the left page. The girl con\u00adtin\u00adues on to pages 22\u201323, \u201c\u2026until I reach the edge of my own shad\u00adow.\u201d Look\u00ading at the black and white illus\u00adtra\u00adtion alone, there is only the girl and her long shad\u00adow, but in the col\u00adored illus\u00adtra\u00adtion on the trac\u00ading paper, there is also a col\u00ador\u00adful girl her\u00adself stand\u00ading at the edge of the shad\u00adow\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This grad\u00adual visu\u00adal change not only immers\u00ades the read\u00ader in the won\u00addrous atmos\u00adphere of a dream but also cre\u00adates a unique inter\u00adac\u00adtive expe\u00adri\u00adence, mak\u00ading the process of turn\u00ading the pages feel like an active jour\u00adney of explo\u00adration with\u00adin the dream world. Many read\u00aders are cap\u00adti\u00advat\u00aded by this exquis\u00adite design, prais\u00ading it as \u201cfull of ten\u00adder\u00adness and inspi\u00adra\u00adtion on every page.\u201d Chil\u00addren, through this unique visu\u00adal design, can expe\u00adri\u00adence the lay\u00adered pro\u00adgres\u00adsion of the visu\u00adals, more intu\u00aditive\u00adly feel\u00ading the fan\u00adtas\u00adti\u00adcal and ever-chang\u00ading nature of dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While trans\u00adlat\u00ading this book, what par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly moved me were pages 14\u201315: \u201cA rainy fall evening \u2026 I wait until sun\u00adrise for the train that brings me the smil\u00ading faces of my loved ones.\u201d Although the main imagery is in black and white, it evokes a pure warmth and antic\u00adi\u00adpa\u00adtion. The fields and dis\u00adtant views, ren\u00addered with del\u00adi\u00adcate lines, cre\u00adate a sense of open\u00adness, yet not empti\u00adness; rather, the tran\u00adquil\u00adi\u00adty of the fields instills a sense of peace. The pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist stands beside the rail\u00adway tracks, the inter\u00adsect\u00ading lines point\u00ading into the dis\u00adtance, seem\u00ading\u00adly guid\u00ading the eye to the approach\u00ading train. The soft light brings a sense of peace, espe\u00adcial\u00adly the street\u00adlights on the right, which seem to envel\u00adop the wait\u00ading pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist in a warm halo. But the most exquis\u00adite ele\u00adment is the driz\u00adzle on the trac\u00ading paper and the splash of red umbrel\u00adla, which adds to the dream\u00adlike haze and uncer\u00adtain\u00adty, as well as the dynamism of the rain. Once this veil is lift\u00aded, the read\u00ader feels a pro\u00adfound sense of reas\u00adsur\u00adance. That splash of red allows one to feel a warm and joy\u00adful antic\u00adi\u00adpa\u00adtion with\u00adin the uncer\u00adtain, flow\u00ading imagery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This visu\u00adal\u00adly stun\u00adning pic\u00adture book, through the inge\u00adnious com\u00adbi\u00adna\u00adtion of text and dynam\u00adic images, pro\u00adfound\u00adly explores the rela\u00adtion\u00adship between dreams and life, and dreams and growth. Rad\u00adha\u2019s nar\u00adra\u00adtive is con\u00adcise and poet\u00adic; through a child\u2019s per\u00adspec\u00adtive, she show\u00adcas\u00ades the diver\u00adsi\u00adty and pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties of dreams\u2014from wear\u00ading beau\u00adti\u00adful clothes to fly\u00ading on feath\u00aders, from strolling through a night\u00adtime gar\u00adden to explor\u00ading a maze. Dreams pro\u00advide chil\u00addren with a world full of imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion, far removed from the con\u00adstraints of real\u00adi\u00adty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the book empha\u00adsizes that \u201cdreams almost always take place in the dark,\u201d these dreams are not neg\u00ada\u00adtive; they are full of pos\u00adi\u00adtive mean\u00ading. Through these dreams, the pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly dis\u00adcov\u00aders and accepts her\u00adself, ulti\u00admate\u00adly reach\u00ading a moment of light\u2014\u201cI look the world in the eye and \u2026 I am myself.\u201d In this process, the author not only reveals the fan\u00adta\u00adsy and mys\u00adtery of dreams but also con\u00adveys to chil\u00addren a con\u00adcept of growth that involves fac\u00ading real\u00adi\u00adty and accept\u00ading one\u00adself. At the end of the sto\u00adry, even though the child returns to the real world and faces the cracks in the wall\u00adpa\u00adper, she still choos\u00ades to face the world and accept the beau\u00adty with\u00adin its imper\u00adfec\u00adtions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This tran\u00adsi\u00adtion from dreams to real\u00adi\u00adty is, in fact, a process from fan\u00adta\u00adsy to self-accep\u00adtance. This nar\u00adra\u00adtive serves as an impor\u00adtant exam\u00adple for chil\u00addren\u2019s devel\u00adop\u00adment, guid\u00ading them to under\u00adstand and accept them\u00adselves through dreams, and to feel their own pow\u00ader in real\u00adi\u00adty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Effie Rad\u00adha was born and raised in a small vil\u00adlage on the Pelo\u00adpon\u00adnese penin\u00adsu\u00adla in Greece. After suc\u00adcess\u00adful\u00adly pass\u00ading her med\u00adical school entrance exams, she decid\u00aded to end her for\u00admal edu\u00adca\u00adtion and become a wife and full-time moth\u00ader. While rais\u00ading her two daugh\u00adters, she began to draw seri\u00adous\u00adly, work\u00ading as a Christ\u00admas card artist and the\u00adatri\u00adcal set design\u00ader, but ulti\u00admate\u00adly devot\u00aded her\u00adself to chil\u00addren\u2019s book cre\u00adation. From the begin\u00adning, her art\u00adwork was a way for her to express her mater\u00adnal feel\u00adings and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adcate with her chil\u00addren. This was also the start\u00ading point for her chil\u00addren\u2019s book cre\u00adation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lada\u2019s depic\u00adtions of dreams stem not only from her con\u00adcern for the inner world of chil\u00addren but also from the artis\u00adtic sub\u00adli\u00adma\u00adtion of her per\u00adson\u00adal life expe\u00adri\u00adences. In her view, dreams are win\u00addows into human emo\u00adtions and imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion, espe\u00adcial\u00adly for chil\u00addren, who use them as an impor\u00adtant means to release emo\u00adtions, express desires, and resolve inner con\u00adflicts. There\u00adfore, she choos\u00ades to use art to present this seem\u00ading\u00adly elu\u00adsive top\u00adic to chil\u00addren through beau\u00adti\u00adful illus\u00adtra\u00adtions and sim\u00adple lan\u00adguage. Such cre\u00adations help chil\u00addren under\u00adstand the mean\u00ading of dreams, espe\u00adcial\u00adly those that may trou\u00adble their emo\u00adtions. Through the form of dreams, she shows chil\u00addren a world to explore, a bound\u00adless men\u00adtal space, help\u00ading them cope with life\u2019s chal\u00adlenges and cul\u00adti\u00advate self-con\u00adfi\u00addence and curios\u00adi\u00adty about the unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dreams are an impor\u00adtant part of every\u00adone\u2019s life, espe\u00adcial\u00adly for chil\u00addren, as they reflect their sub\u00adcon\u00adscious, emo\u00adtions, and dai\u00adly expe\u00adri\u00adences. Whether a dream is illu\u00adso\u00adry or helps chil\u00addren under\u00adstand the world, the key is guid\u00ading them to com\u00adpre\u00adhend it and draw pos\u00adi\u00adtive strength from it. \u201cIn My Dreams\u201d offers a rare and excel\u00adlent tool to help chil\u00addren under\u00adstand dreams and emo\u00adtions, teach\u00ading them how to view dreams, how to under\u00adstand them\u00adselves through dreams, and how to find beau\u00adty and strength even when fac\u00ading con\u00adfu\u00adsion and imper\u00adfec\u00adtions in real\u00adi\u00adty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond dreams can be a bet\u00adter ver\u00adsion of your\u00adself. The pow\u00ader of dreams lies not only in their mys\u00adtery and fan\u00adta\u00adsy, but also in their abil\u00adi\u00adty to guide us to dis\u00adcov\u00ader that bet\u00adter ver\u00adsion of our\u00adselves. In this sense, this book is also suit\u00adable for adults who still dream often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writ\u00adten by A\u2011Jia on Sep\u00adtem\u00adber 10, 2024 in Bei\u00adjing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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