The Dreamtime Fairies [Hardcover]

Jane Simmons (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

One night when Jamie and Lucy can't sleep, they discover they need the help of the Dreamtime Fairies. So Lucy, Bear, Jamie, and Floppy Rabbit fly far away, across the ocean to the land where the fairies live, for a fantastic nighttime adventure. Jane Simmons's bold paintings and soothing text create an enchanting bedtime story that ends with the magic of sweet dreams.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this evocative tale, a girl who loves to tell stories takes her brother on a nighttime journey to visit a fairyland. When Lucy's little brother, Jamie, can't sleep because he sees "things in the shadows on the ceiling," she seeks help from the "Dreamtime Fairies" who live across the ocean. Atop a giant bird, the duo flies to an island where they encounter a turtle, tiger, and fox, each of whom suggest ways to fall asleep, but none of which work for Jamie. The animals then lead the siblings deep into a shadowy forest where the children dance and play with the fairies, falling asleep fearlessly (Lucy explains, "There's no need to be afraid of the shadows, because that's where the Dreamtime Fairies fly"). The last spread returns them to their bedroom, where a mobile of fairies and a stuffed turtle, tiger and fox suggest Lucy's inspiration (all of the elements also appear in an earlier spread). Though the cover does not indicate Simmons's (Come Along, Daisy!) signature palette, the interior spreads do. On backgrounds saturated with textured gradations of purple, blue and green, she conjures plenty of illustrative magic, painting the children with a tender, dreamily blurred focus and bathing the tiny fairies in an ethereal glow of yellow, white and lavender. Like Lucy, Simmons is acutely attuned to her audience's needs, and her attention to nuance both visual and verbal should work a soothing bedtime magic. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-With jewel-toned and evocative strokes similar to those plied in her "Daisy" books (Little, Brown), Simmons offers a fantastical yet comforting bedtime book. Young Lucy, an imaginative storyteller, enjoys sharing her tales with her family, and especially with Bear. Each night she contentedly whispers stories to him until they both fall fast asleep. Unfortunately, her little brother Jamie is not so lucky. Instead, "He'd toss and turn with Floppy Rabbit and see things in the shadows on the ceiling." On one particularly wakeful night, Lucy suggests they take a magical journey to find the "Dreamtime Fairies." With stuffed animals in tow, the children travel through exotic scenes and meet Turtle, Tiger, and Foxy, all of whom offer their own suggestions for finding sleep. Ultimately, however, the group must brave the darkness and continue their search. Once found, the fairies dance and laugh, swooping around the children and animals. Finally, they "fluttered and twinkled and worked their Dreamtime magic," sending everyone off to sleep. Children will be drawn to the sparkly cover and the full-bleed, richly colored spreads, and they're sure to enjoy discovering the elements of the story seen in the children's bedroom at the beginning and end. (The stuffed animals are a turtle, tiger, and fox, and a mobile of fairies hangs above their beds.) A lovely, soothing offering that might distract troubled sleepers from fears.
Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown; 1 edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316795232
• ISBN-13: 978-0316795234
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,928,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, August 21, 2002

By 

Terrie (Little Chute, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dreamtime Fairies (Hardcover)

Simple but lively text tells the story of big sister Lucy (a natural born story teller herself) and the way that she helps her little brother, Jamie, overcome his fear of the dark. Charming, big bright illustrations, many of them full double page spreads show the journey that Lucy, Jamie and their bedtime friends Bear and Floppy Rabbit take to find the land of the Dreamtime Fairies. Lucy thinks the Dreamtime Fairies will know how Jamie can fall asleep without being scared. They meet lots of charming characters in the process and all have suggestions to help Jamie but nothing works quite right until they finally do meet the dreamtime fairies. This book is so lovely and filled with tender loving images that it is sure to help soothe and comfort any little one who gets spooked by nighttime shadows on the walls. It offers a whimsical and positive solution for a youngster whose imagination gets stuck in the dark places at nighty-night time and gives them their own built-in nightlight to switch on at will. Sweet.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dreamtime Fairies - delightful reading, adorable!, March 28, 2006

By 

M. Guenthart (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dreamtime Fairies (Hardcover)

My daughter is just about two years old. We received this book as a gift. My daughter is just mesmerized by the large colorful photos and the adventure of the story. It is one that I know we will be reading together at bed time for a long, long time.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful drawings, lovely story, April 22, 2009

By 

Snap, Crackle and Pop (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Dreamtime Fairies (Hardcover)

This book has really grown on us, and really has become a little magical.

Visually, the book works well. The drawings are really beautiful. The typography is well done, and fairly easy to read even at bedtime.

The story works well - engaging, and with good flow. For us, it's more about their group (Lucy, Jamie, Floppy Rabbit, Bear, Turtle, Tiger and Foxy) on an adventure together to find the Dreamtime Fairies (rather than conquering a fear of shadows). There are some clever touches that I didn't see at first, like the way all the animals in the story are in their room on one of the early pages.

As with almost all stories, I adapt the story to fit our child. At the moment, that means de-emphasizing the fear of darkness - it's not an issue so I don't want to make it one. To make it a little more brief, I also leave out the parts where they try to sleep the way each animal sleeps.

The age range mentioned in the Publishers Weekly blurb above seems about right - a little before 2 to 5 or so, depending as always on the child.