The Dream Jar (Hardcover)

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

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

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (November 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618176985
• ISBN-13: 978-0618176984
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,546 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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)

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)

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 You have a MAGIC WAND--use it!, February 26, 2006

By	Moon Dancer - See all my reviews

This is author Lindan Lee Johnson's first book and I hope not her last. My nearly 4 year old daughter and I love it.

The story is about a little girl who has scary dreams. But thanks to her wonderful older sister whom she shares a room with she gets a number of pointers that change her nasty dreams into fantastic dreams. And they are the kind of practical suggestions that can help any child who suffers from nightmares.

The author, who has studied Jungian dream analysis, must have had her own dreams come true when Serena Curmi illustrated her book. The pictures are beautiful, fun, and--DREAMY!