The Dream Jar

by Lindan Lee Johnson, Serena Curmi (Illustrations)

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.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 28, 2005

Reviews

[Melki]

This would be a good title for children suffering from frequent nightmares, as it shows how you can change your dreams to make them less scary. (I was reminded of the Harry Potter hex - Riddikulus!)

I liked the relationship between the sisters, and the sweet illustrations. The random placement of the text drove me batty, however.

[Bvlmc Buchanan Verplanck Elementary School]

A great story to read to children struggling with nightmares. In this wonderfully illustrated tale, a big sister teaches her younger sister how to turn bad dreams into good dreams. Everything is going wonderfully until her older sister is invited to a sleepover and the younger sister realizes she will be alone with no one to remind her of the secret to changing her nightmares into pleasant dreams. Yet in a beautifully loving gesture, the older sister leaves a special dream jar in their bedroom in her absence and the result is a heartwarming reminder of the bond between siblings.

[babyhippoface]

With her big sister away at a sleepover, a little girl is plagued by a bad dream until she uses her sister’s secret of the “Dream Jar” to change the bad dream into a “dreamy dream.” A nice change of pace from books about sibling rivalry, this spotlights the use of kindness and imagination to ease fears. The computer-manipulated pencil and acrylic illustrations merge with text that varies in size, color, and typeface to create a whimsical yet peaceful quality, perfect for bedtime sharing.

[Morgan]

This is a unique book that attempts to explain and cure the issue of bad dreams. When the little sister is scared to sleep by herself, the older sister explains the secret of using a dream jar, where you can fill it with wonderful things to fight the nightmares. I think it could be fun for children to make their own dream jars, and fill it up with all the things they think would make the scary dreams go away!

[Gregandemy]

Great book for kids who have trouble with nightmares. Pretty pictures, nicely written, great story about changing your nightmares into dreamy dreams. Directed more to girls as the story is about 2 sisters, but my little boy still really liked it and enjoyed talking about how he'd change his dreams. He liked the invisible spy and magical powers from the book.

[Megan]

This book is very creative and has a unique layout. It is good for students to experience reading this way so they can figure out the organization and order when text is not written in ordered paragaphs. It is a fun story that many students could even try if they to have bad dreams. The pictures are really good as well. This book is for lower primary grades.

[Heather Summers]

LOVE this book! written from the point of view of a little girl. great if learning about dreams in science. Suggest to imaginative young girls. Includes lots of emphasized words which are good for read alouds or writers workshop.

[Crystal]

A wonderful story of two sisters, their personal fears and triumphs over dreams, and the tools their mom, and then the older sister use to help turn bad dreams into DREAMY dreams. A very sweet book my two girls love. When bad dreams are a foot, this one is a go to for them.

[Keirwin]

Great book!

[Michele]

Love the wispy illustrations. Little girl with nightmares receives comfort from her older sister and mother. Making a dream jar cold be a great craft for children struggling with bad dreams.

[Zonia]

Big sister helps little sister get through a night alone with the help of a dream jar.

[Shanna]

This is a sweet book about one sister helping out another in dealing with her nightmares.

[Loren]

great illustrations ... for older kids preschoolish having trouble with "bad" dreams and sleeping. A dream jar what a great idea!

[Kara]

My daughter and I loved the whimsical illustrations, lyrical storytelling and sweet tale of sisterly love in addition to the surprisingly practical ideas to help a child deal with nighttime fears.

[Theda]

When nightmares make your life difficult, read this book and learn to take control.

[Jo]

Awesome kids book to help with bad dreams

[Andrea Retana]

-I would like to use this book to teach children about dreams on a science lesson.
-This book also helps children deal with nightmares.
- It has great illustration that go along with the text.

[Breanna]

Adorable.

[Marjorie]

sweet illustrations. great book.

[Amelia Halgren]

Jasi and I read this together when she was itty bitty. It still stands in my memory as a very sweet story with pretty pictures.

[Lori]

Great message. Loved the relationship between sisters!

[Marcia]

I think this book is a really great book for children struggling with bad dreams. Especially right now with everything going on I know my friends kids are struggling some nights. I will definitely be referring this book to them and they might even be able to make their kids a dream jar.

[Abby Peskin]

This is a great book to teach kids about what to do with scary dreams. The girl in this story has bad dreams and her sister teaches her how to add silly things to the characters in her dreams so that the dreams no longer feel scary.

[Kristina]

My daughter was inspired by the book to make a dream jar. The illustrations and the relationship between the sisters is just delightful. We renewed it from the library multiple times.

[Megan]

Way too convoluted to actually be helpful for a preschooler dealing with nightmares.

[Luisa Knight]

Ages: 5 - 8

Here’s a few of our bedtime favs: watch my reel!

Content Considerations: mentions magic wands.

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[Kate Puleo Unger]

The Dream Jar wasn't the best book for Christopher because he doesn't have many nightmares. In it a little girl has them very often. She shares a room with her sister, and usually her sister is able to save her from the nightmares. One night she shares a secret - dreams aren't real, and you can change them if you want to. She teaches the main character how to transform scary sea monsters into something funny. That alone was a fun plot line.

But then, the sister goes to a sleepover, and the little girl has to sleep all alone. Her sister surprises her with The Dream Jar. I won't give it away, but if you have a reluctant sleeper, you might want to check this book out. We may end up making our own dream jar. There is a lot of text in this book, so it's probably better suited for ages 4 and up.

http://www.momsradius.com/2016/05/juv...

[MaryCatherine]

Summary: A little girl was always having bad dreams. With the help of her sister, she learned how to turn bad dreams into good ones. Together they become unstoppable and their dreams are now only ones they look forward to.
Review: This book is full of imagination that helps turn bad dreams into good dreams. Reading this book will help students understand that everyone has bad dreams but we can always turn them into good ones. After reading this book, discussions can follow to help children have better night sleep, especially when they use their imagination.
Books: Two other books that can be used as social stories to teach about bad dreams are Bye-Bye Bad Dreams by Stephanie Robinson and Little Rabbit and the Night Mare by Kate Klise.
Quote: “What do you do when night comes and your dreams turn real?”

[Elaine]

This book is terrific! I like the story and the illustrations...so fun and colorful and whimsical... and the fonts and layout...all of it is just super and of course I love the little red-haired girl! :)

[Lacey]

A very cute book about how a child can deal with nightmares. Very cute illustrations and the story about a little girl's struggles against nightmares and how her older sister helps her to overcome them is beautifully written. A must read!