Fifteen acclaimed illustrators were involved in this book. How did you go about choosing these artists? 

Our illustration "Dream Team" is made up of 15 of the top illustrators in the world, including winners of the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, Coretta Scott King Award, Society of Illustrators Gold Medal, and Caldecott Medal. Because this book has so many fantastic illustrators, each time you turn the page there's a delightful and different surprise.

Each stage of living and dreaming is distinct, which makes the use of several artists very appropriate for the themes of this book. At the same time, it was a design challenge to make sure all the illustrations worked together and the book was a cohesive whole. The book design is held together by elements that include type, layout, and the sand-and-stars background illustrations on each page done by Canadian digital artist Mike Carter (the series of page backgrounds is titled "From Reality to Dreams"). The story is also "bookended" -- started and finished -- by artwork by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, and the same illustrators were used for a couple of spreads that are related.

In terms of actually choosing the illustrators, I headed a review committee that consisted of educators, librarians, and booksellers. I had my favorite illustrators from the start, and in fact wrote Dream with several illustrators in mind for specific spreads. At the same time, though, we were combing through hundreds and hundreds of books to choose illustrators that would be just right for each spread. Going through that process itself was a treat. And we'd get really excited when we'd find a good match between an illustrator and a spread, just like when you start to fit the pieces in a big, complicated puzzle. Each illustrator was chosen based on their body of work as well as a style suitable for a given stage of living and dreaming.

I also wanted a variety of ages of illustrators who would bring different life experiences and perspectives to the book. On the one hand, we have two-time Caldecott Medal winners and masters of their craft Leo and Diane Dillon, who are both in their early seventies. They've been married and working together in their "third artist" collaboration for over 45 years. I desperately wanted them to do the green spreads toward the end of the book, which represent the pinnacle of living and dreaming. My feeling was that only someone who had a lot of life experience could bring the richness to those illustrations that I wanted. The day they said "yes" was one of the best days of the last five years!

On the other hand, we have rising stars like Shaun Tan and Bruce Wood, who are both in their early thirties. Shaun Tan's work is smart and sophisticated, ideal for the young adult spread in the book, where everything seems so straightforward -- except it isn't! Bruce Wood is the son of children's author Audrey Wood and illustrator Don Wood. He's a fifth-generation artist. His digital art was ideal for the technology/inventions spread in Dream. I wanted something that was "cool" and reflected the energy of a fresh approach.

The idea behind each two-page spread in Dream is to feel each distinct stage of life. For example, the sensory world of a toddler is perfectly illustrated by a playful three-dimensional plasticine piece done by Canada's Barbara Reid. Famous faces from throughout history -- people like da Vinci, Einstein, Gandhi, Earhart -- are brought together in a character-rich library scene painted by James Bennett (widely known for his caricatures in magazines like Time and Mad, and recent children's books with Jerry Seinfeld and Carl Reiner). An interesting note about that illustration is when you look in the top, right corner you'll see African-American Harold Allen, a 74-year-old youth mentor with Experience Corps in Philadelphia, PA. I chose to include him to represent the ordinary person who can make a difference. I had heard about the great work he's doing with disadvantaged children and teens, and phoned to invite him to be in the illustration. He was thrilled! Another highlight of the last five years.

Getting the illustrators was a huge challenge because these are all top people with very busy schedules. Everyone was very interested in the project the minute they heard about it. But all the illustrators wanted to see the text before they committed. It was so great to get so many positive and enthusiastic comments about the story from these illustrators that I admired so much. It meant a lot to me.