But readers who prefer nonverbal adventures – and the best of picture books do render words superfluous – might want to start with Sea of Dreams (Roaring Brook Press, 40 pp.), a magical oceanside fantasy by award-winning author and illustrator Dennis Nolan (“Dinosaur Dream”). In vibrant colors, Nolan tells the story of a little girl who builds an elaborate sand castle, and then must leave it for the night, when its tiny inhabitants emerge to enact a fascinating nautical drama of their own. The little girl returns the next morning – and unwittingly helps the magic to begin again.