From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2–This rhyming tale suggests a novel coping mechanism for dealing with bad dreams as a young boy evades his nightmares by dream hopping to less-scary environments. Chased up a tree by frightening monsters, he calls out, DREAM HOP, and ends up in a grand castle. However, a large knight soon rides out calling for a duel, and the youngster must again switch locales. This back-and-forth interplay between bad and good dreams forms the structure of the book. Rendered in ink and dyes, the cartoon illustrations somewhat diminish the more intimidating scenarios, some of which entail being set upon by pirates or possibly eaten by a witch. Comic relief such as the familiar dream in which the character appears before his class in his underwear lightens the mood. This title could also be used as bibliotherapy for children who are plagued by this nocturnal dilemma.–Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 2. Wearing only green pajamas and accompanied by his faithful teddy bear, a young boy braves a series of petrifying nightmares and learns to "dream hop," or jump to a new scenario when things get too frightening. Durango's short rhyming couplets scan with an energetic, jaunty rhythm that amplifies the suspense and then the relief of each nail-biting dream scene: "The monsters surround you, there's nowhere to flee. . . / You cross all your fingers and call out . . . 'Dream Hop!'" The dream settings range from wild fairy tales--a pirate ship, a medieval castle--to the perhaps more terrifyingly familiar; on one spread, the boy stands before his entire jeering classroom in his underpants. Lee's scribbly, detailed cartoons extend the humor and portray animals and villains that are more goofy than haunting. Still, the scary action and a final shivery surprise may make this best for sharing during a sunny day, rather than right before dreamtime. Pair with Johnson's The Dream Jar (p.54) and Waechter's Rosie and the Nightmare (p.57). Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
