What happens when Jake falls asleep? The dreaming starts and his adventure begins! This particular night he meets a beautiful purple unicorn and she takes him on the ride of his life. Hop on for a crazy adventure filled with so many different animals you'll lose count. This is the first book in the "Jake's Dreamland" series which contains books that are purely ridiculous and insanely fun to read for all ages! It is the perfect bedtime story which starts off with a dream...and ends with a question.
Chris Hardy, a native of California, decided to finally pursue her long-time dream of writing books that touch the hearts of children and adults alike. "Jake and the Pandemic" was her first book and it was inspired by her nieces' experiences during the pandemic as well as the adorable dog, Jake, who she adopted after the passing of her neighbor. She went on to write three more books in 2021 ("Jake and the Purple Unicorn," "Jake and the Biggest Yawn Ever" and "Grateful Jake") and she is working on 3 more for 2022.
Her writing goals are to create engaging stories filled with humor, life lessons and education to not only help children but also to help them thoroughly enjoy their book reading experience.
When she isn't engaged in her creative outlet of writing, she runs her business that she has owned since 2002 selling natural products. In her spare time, she enjoys going on walks with Jake, playing tennis with her 80-year-old mom, hiking, watching movies, riding bikes at the beach, vacationing anywhere, spending time with family and being grateful for all the good that is in her life.
Wow, Jake has quite a vivid imagination. While dreaming he makes wonderful new friends along the way, like Gwen, the unicorn. They go on an adventure down in the ocean. There was so much to see and do that Jake wonders if he's really dreaming at all because surely this magical place really does exist.
The illustrations done by Wally_LL (Osipova V) were very vibrant. I really love the added details like the squirrels clothing hanging out to dry on the tree and the whales knitting a Christmas sweater.
*Thanks to Chris_Hardy for providing me with a copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
All about Jake the puppy and his trip to the forest in his dreams where he found a magical unicorn. Gwen then takes him on an adventure to the bottom of the ocean. But is it really a dream? Cute story to share with your little ones.
This was really cute. There isn't really a plot, but it doesn't seem to matter. Cute dog, fun and weird adventures and a unicorn. What more could a kid want n a book? Oh right, awesome illustrations, it has that too. Much love to NetGalley & BooksGoSocial for my ARC.
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway and the review is my own. The prose and story were great, and the illustrations appropriate too. I especially liked the square glasses on Jake. The only thing I wondered about; some of the text seemed a bit complicated for a child under 5, but for the most part flowed.
I won Jake and the Purple Unicorn as part of a Goodreads giveaway. Beautifully colored illustrations have enough details to keep little eyes busy searching for every imaginative tidbit. The story is whimsical and written in a nicely rhyming rhythm that will appeal to the young and young at heart.
As I do not have youngsters of my own, I will be donating this book to our local school district so other children can enjoy this wonderful gem of a book.
We won this off of a Goodreads giveaway. Lakeynn loved it along with the other 3 kids. They loved Jake and can't wait to read more. We have read the book already 4 times. They love the colorful drawing and all the sharks and seals. Lol
Not only are the Jake books sweet, short, and simple, but I smile at the illustrations on every page. Very well done! Can you find Stuart the squirrel on every page??
In love with the Jake books! Just purchased the paperbacks for my niece!
I read this to my kids, who enjoyed it very much! Jake has a wonderful dream where he meets Gwen, a purple unicorn. Gwen flies him undersea and they share a wonderful adventure. The colors are bright and the story is told in rhyme. Thank you to NetGalley and Book Social for a copy.
My 3 year old loved this story of the “cute puppy” Jake and his dreamland visit to the ocean. The story rhymes and is fun for young readers to understand. The pictures are vibrant and provide ability to ask questions about what young readers see or think will happen next.
Jake, the little dog’s imagination runs wild in his dreams. One night in his dream, he met a toad who took him to a forest, and there Jake met Gwen, a purple unicorn. Gwen offered Jake a ride. She rode and dived into the sea when Jake got on her back. Before Jake realized it, he was in a magical underwater world. He made many friends and had a good time until dawn. What happened to Jake? Did he come back home? We picked this book for its unicorn theme. A quest to make friends leads a small dog to an exciting underwater world. The rhyming narration, the little dog, and exploring the aquatic elements will keep the little ones engaged. The illustrations are bright and support the story. Jake and the Purple Unicorn by Chris Hardy is an exciting read for young children who enjoy exploring a new fantasy world with interesting and funny creatures. Read the full review at Nothing But Picture books
Jake is an adorable little white dog with a big imagination. When Jake falls asleep, the dreaming starts and so do the adventures in this sweet and imaginative book for young readers.
Once asleep, Jake dreams he’s ready to go outside and play. He meets up with his friend Tedd the toad. They drive to a forest and meet a beautiful unicorn, Gwen. She suggests going on an adventure, and adventures are what Jake does best! It’s quite a ride, full of fun and oceanic exploration.
But morning is coming and that means Jake will soon have to wake up and end his dream. Upon waking, Jake’s Mom notices he’s wearing a nautical hook around his neck. Was Jake’s watery adventure just a dream – or something else? Is Jake really awake, or is he still dreaming?
This is such a rich and warm-hearted story. The writing style is lithe and agile, with plenty of action to keep young readers turning pages. The tone is warm and welcoming. Beautiful illustrations and a sweet little dog with big dreams are sure to capture young imaginations.
Indeed, Jake and the Purple Unicorn will delight young readers and those who love them.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
First, thank you to BookSirens and the author for allowing me to preview this book before publication.
My 4yr old daughter and I read this last night. She was very engaged and interested in the story. She said she liked the pictures that showed the animals doing human things (like driving the car). She also liked that it was about a dog and a unicorn (2 of her favorite things).
As a parent, I liked that the illustrations were not abstract, difficult to see and understand. They allowed for my daughter to really look at them while I was reading the story. I also liked that the story was fairly open-ended, again, without being too abstract or deep thinking for a 4 yr old. My daughter told me if she thought it was real or a dream and why. This allowed for a nice, thoughtful conversation at the end.
My only negative was that the rhyming scheme was often awkward and seemed forced. That being said, the cadence of the rhymes flowed nicely.
Overall, my daughter and I very much enjoyed this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was the cutest! The story was unique and fresh and I enjoyed the imagination that went into it. Jake went on an amazing adventure and I loved it. Gwen the unicorn was a gorgeous character and friend to him and I like that she was part of the story. This book would be amazing to read aloud with others and show off the pretty illustrations. I currently have the kindle version but I intend to get a physical copy as well to enjoy the colors and pictures more fully. I adore that this is based on a real, well-loved pet and I look forward to more adventures with Jake. If I could offer one critique it would be the use of multiple question marks on the last pages "???" and "??" instead of the standard one punctuation mark. While I understand the sentiment, I did find that a little distracting. Overall, would recommend as a colorful and inventive story to charm readers of any age.
Thank you so much to booksgosocial and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
Jake is a white puppy who has a big imagination when he dreams, sharing his dream of playing with a unicorn named Gwen and the adventure he has in his sleep.
This was really cute, I loved how imaginative the book was and the things that Jake was able to do whilst in his dream land. He was driving, riding a unicorn and even went down under the sea. We saw lots of unique events within the dream and it was really cute. I liked seeing how his new friends were and seeing the underwater dream world. It was such an imaginative story.
The illustrations were good and worked well for the story, I think that little ones would really like the story, with it being about a puppy and a unicorn I can imagine it to be a favourite for some readers and they’ll be whisked away with Jake in his adventure.
My son, who is 6 years old, could read this with confidence. He thoroughly enjoyed the book and in his own words described it as awesome! He loved the graphics and thought they were a bit crazy, hence lots of giggles.
Jake is a great character and the story is relatable to both girls and boys. The story is completely mad, but captures children's imagination.
I particularly liked the rhyming language used to help develop his reading.
We did notice a mistake on point 33 ' you can start it's way day'. DS stated ' that doesn't make sense'
Jake is a dog and we have joined him on his adventure. my 5-year-old has enjoyed reading this book. He has enjoyed seeing the different pictures of animals and Jake the dog in the book. He found it so funny when the toad was driving the car. This is a very suitable book for younger readers the language is easy to read and the story is easy to follow for this age range. We thoroughly enjoyed the story and meeting all the different creatures my son discussed the pictures in depth as he through enjoyed the illustrations. 'This is a good story ' M.Aged 5
While this has a cute premise and is silly enough to keep a child’s attention, the illustrations are very uncanny valley which make it hard to become fully engaged in this picture book. Additionally, the author made great attempts at rhyming, but this is not the best work to support phonological awareness in children with rhyming as the sentences used are too long with multiple clauses, so it feels clunky when reading aloud. It’s a fun silly read, but I can’t imagine it would be one that a child would go back to again and again, nor would it be effective in a library or classroom storytime.
I have nothing negative to say about Jake and the purple Unicorn.
The pictures are full of color and imagination. The writing brings you into Jake's dream works and it's limitless possibilities. I must say I looked for the Squirrel in every page.
A wonderful story that reminds us how wonderful our imagination. It also makes on wondering if our own dog is meeting a purple Unicorn when she runs in her sleep.
Jake and the Purple Unicorn by Chris Hardy is a cute story about Jake, a dog, heading off to dreamland looking for an adventure underwater with Gwen, the Purple Unicorn. I love all the animals Jake encounters; the illustrations are cute and the activities they are all doing is fun. I like the rhyming writing style, helps my children stay interested as we read along.
Thank you NetGalley and Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was so cute! The story was very fun and the illustrations were gorgeous. This would be a really great story to read to young kids before bed. The rhyming was fun and would be good to keep the interest of young children. This story made me happy and I was pleased to learn Jake has more stories :)
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a very sweet, fun little children's book, about a dog called Jake who meets a big purple unicorn. The illustrations were colourful and fun, and there was some rhyming in the story, which was also fun. This seems like a fun book to read with a child, and who doesn't love a book about a unicorn?
Thank you to Booksirens and the author for a free copy to review.
This book is very charming. This is thr first book the Jake's Dreamland series. When Jake the dog falls alseep he dreams about silly things. He goes through a forest and meets Gwen a purple unicorn. So he hops oh her back and they go on adventures. I will put this in my Toys bag I am starting for next year.
Cute, colorful picture books with rhymes. Very dreamy and colorful. Kids will appreciate the trippines, this is what I remember some of my dreams and fantasies to be like. I'll read it with my daughter when she's a little older, understands what a picture book on the tablet is. I won a Kindle copy of this book.
Well we absolutely love Jake and the Purple Unicorn in our house!
I read it to my 5 year old son at bedtime and now he requests it every night. We love the story and all the cute illustrations and we cannot wait for more books in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for my ARC.
I enjoyed this book, it has a nice gentle feel about it. Lovely to read around bedtime. However, I found the wording a little old fashioned at times and it didn't always flow as easily as I would have liked. We did find the illustrations really captured my children's attention though and were fun to talk about together and make up other stories of our own!
Disclaimer: I received this book through a goodreads giveaway.
A sweet book that celebrates a child's (or puppy's) imagination. Plus it came in a sparkly purple envelope and who doesn't love sparkly purple envelopes?
Super cut book. The illustration was bright and colorful. I can't wait to read it to my grandkids someday. It's a feel good book for children and the fact that it's based on a real dog is even better.
What a great book for kids. The story is imaginative and fun - all kids love unicorns and make believe sea creatures! The rhymes keep the story moving and makes it so fun to read aloud. The illustrations are delightful. This nana loved this book!