Where would you go to buy a dream? Jamie's determined to find out, so he can buy one for his mother. Lucky purple socks, unicorns, and belief in magic lead him to Dreams R Us where more adventure awaits.

 Kim Sponaugle's colourful, almost naive illustrations contribute to the dreamy atmosphere. The story itself reads much like a real dream, with simple narrative text detailing one event after another. This makes it an excellent model for a child to follow, to tell or write his own story of a dream. It also means this book will do double duty as a read-aloud picture book, and as an easy reader when the child is older. 
There's a nice twist to the "seeing is believing" mantra in Jamie's Dream, which is dedicated to "...the dream sharers". I'm glad one mother and her nine-year-old son decided to share their dream with the rest of us.

September 2008
Reader Views  
READER REVIEWS

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Jamie’s Dream

Susan Berger & Christopher Corbin

Guardian Angel Publishing (2007)

ISBN 9781933090801

Reviewed by Cayden (age 4) and Max (age 2) Aures and Mom for Reader Views (9/08)

“Jamie’s Dream” begins with Jamie waking up from a dream about riding on a dragon over a mountain made of ice cream. At breakfast that morning, Jamie asks his mother where he can go to buy a dream and starts off on a quest to find out. He asks various people he interacts with on a daily basis and with a little help from the magic of a “puffball” he finds his way.

Max: “Ice cream!”

Cayden: “Mountains made of ice cream?? Can we go there?”

Cayden: “He wants 10 pieces of French toast for breakfast?? That is a lot! I think he will get a tummy ache!”

Cayden: “I like how he keeps saying the list of things over and over again. I can say it too!”

Max: “Dandelion! Blow seeds!”

Cayden: “We do that in our yard!”

Cayden: “Is that the dream store?”

Cayden: “I like the pictures in the book except he doesn’t have any teeth in the front. Why?”

Parent’s comments:

“Jamie’s Dream” by Susan Berger & Christopher Corbin is a magical, creative book. The

Illustrations give a very tie-dyed, 1970s feel to the book. The colors are very bright and attention grabbing.

My children loved the repetition in the book and the unique things that Jamie encountered. There were some parts where my children lost interest in the book, but then

something interesting happened again and they got back into it. Overall, “Jamie’s Dream” is a fun,

imaginative story!

Virginia Grenier. Stories For Children Magazine

SFC 5 star review, October 26, 2007 Jamie has the most wonderful dream - in fact, it was so wonderful, he wanted to buy the dream for his Mom. His day starts out good - he's wearing his lucky purple socks, and Mom has made French toast for breakfast. He tells Mom he's going to buy her a dream. She tells him you can't buy a dream. Jamie reminds her that she's always told him that he could do anything he believed he could. She replies that is, indeed, what she told him, but also warned: "Seeing is believing". He decides he'll ask his teacher about buying dreams. On the way to school, he tells the crossing guard about his wish to purchase a dream. He, also, tells Jamie: "Seeing is believing". His terrific teacher, Miss Mapleleaf, tells him the same thing! On his way home from school, Jamie decides its time to find his dream. He wishes on a dandelion and puffball. His wishes take him on an adventure that you will never forget. He meets Chester, a unicorn, who tells Jamie: "Believing is seeing". Was Jamie able to fulfill his wish to buy his dream for his Mom? Find out as you read this really fun story beautifully illustrated by none other than one of SFC's illustrators who has been with our magazine since the very beginning - Kim Sponaugle. This is author Susan Berger's first children's book, written with the help of her son, Christopher, who was nine years old at the time it was written. Bravo, Susan and Chris, for a wonderful debut book! This is a must-read book for any child that still believes in magic, no matter what age.