The Dreamies

The imagination is celebrated in this luminous picture book, which also provides gentle but practical advice on managing nightmares. The Dreamies, we discover, are jolly little people, childlike in appearance, who live in the hidden space between the walls. Cross-section pages let us peep into their cosy living quarters, decorated with buttons (that’s where they all go), and furnished with corks and thimbles. ‘With magic paint … swooshes of daring and splashes of fun’, they draw wonderful dreams for a sleeping child, full of exciting adventures and experiences. The only problem is, they sometimes get distracted and while they’re not looking, dreams can grow into nightmares. Fortunately, the little Dreamies can help with illustrated tips on how children can use their imaginations to turn those nightmares back into happy dreams.

It’s a perfect bedtime book, wonderfully child-friendly and reassuring, with lots to help parents help children with nightmares. Sleep-specialist Gemma Coe is an advisor and provides a note for grown-ups at the end. Iona Campbell’s illustrations use a rich colour palette and are both robust and dreamy, offering swooshes of daring and splashes of fun on every page. The Dreamies will prove real friends to children.