The Dream Jar [Hardcover]

Lindan Lee Johnson (Author), Serena Curmi (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2005 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

One little girl, with the help of her sister, discovers The Secret for turning bad dreams into good ones. Original, quirky, and rich illustrations complement this sparkling story that deals with the very real problem of children’s nightmares.

Discover the Dream Jar and the power of your imagination—and turn your terribly horrible dreams into dreamy ones.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–Children who have had bad dreams (or parents who have struggled to explain them away) will find solace and a solution in this story. A girl describes how, after a cuddly bedtime ritual with Mom, she and her sister drift off to sleep. When she has visions of scary sea monsters, her older, wiser, and very patient sibling decides that it's time to relay The Secret that their mother had shared with her under similar circumstances: one has the power to reinvent one's dreams. Scary turns to silly and all is well until the older girl is invited to a sleepover and the narrator is frightened at the prospect of spending a night alone. Big sister comes through once again: she leaves a Dream Jar covered in blue paper and glow-in-the-dark stars and filled with ideas guaranteed to transform any nightmare. The predominantly blue palette is rendered in pencil and acrylic and manipulated in Photoshop. The text surrounding the nymphlike duo is occasionally hand lettered and/or appears in color. The overall design, including sketchy thought bubbles, irregularly shaped panels, and dynamic spreads, exudes the vitality, energy, and whimsy of a creative and sensitive family. A refreshing departure from the usual nocturnal sibling shenanigans and parental platitudes, this tale is perfect for bedtime, storytime, or anytime. Pair it with Jane Kurtz's In the Small, Small Night (Greenwillow, 2005) for a look at sisterly love.–Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. This delightful, fresh approach to helping children cope with bad dreams will be welcomed by parents and kids alike. Two sisters share a bedroom, and when the younger one has bad dreams, the older one tells her a secret: imagine that those scary monsters in your dream are really silly monsters. It works, and nighttimes are fine until Big Sister is invited to a sleepover. To alleviate the younger girl's fears, the older sister leaves a Dream Jar filled with tiny rolls of paper. When a bad dream starts, the child opens one of the Dreamy Dream scrolls and finds a message that helps change her nightmare into a "fabulously fun dreamy dream." The pencil, acrylic, and computer-enhanced illustrations give the story its zing. The whimsical, wispy pictures generate fun, while the first-person text, set down in a variety of playful typefaces, underscores the sibling relationship: "Now I can sleep, my sister saved me." For a different take on the subject, see Waechter's Rosie and the Nightmares (p.57) and Durango's Dream Hop (p.53). Julie Cummins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; None edition (November 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618176985
• ISBN-13: 978-0618176984
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #333,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Dream Book!, November 11, 2005

By 

R. Hogan "Hogan Speaking" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dream Jar (Hardcover)

I was impressed with the little girl telling the story to her sister, in a way that you would expect sisters to share secrets. The message is beautiful even for children who don't have scarey dreams. For younger children, the illustrations are so vivid, they completely tell the story without the words. I'm giving this as Christmas gifts to four children so far.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A voyage of the imagination, November 1, 2005

By 

E. Kimball "Lisa" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dream Jar (Hardcover)

The Dream Jar takes you on a wonderful voyage of the imagination. The combination of delightful, original ddrawings and an important message (delivered in a totally NON-SAPPY way!) will make this a bed-time standard. This is a great gift book for all the nephews and neices and grandchildren and god-children on your list. You can make a "dream jar" for them to go with it too!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my daughter loves this book, December 26, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Dream Jar (Hardcover)

i checked this book out for her on a whim. she is 4 but was 3 at the time and she instantly became hooked. we are going through the it is dark in there i do not want to go in there by myself so with the little girl conquering her fears it helps. it is just a beautiful story.