Good Dream, Bad Dream

"Good Dream, Bad Dream: The World’s Heroes Save the Night! is a visual feast for anyone who loves action-packed pages, graphic novel-style illustration, and a message that will help your grade school kids sleep a little sounder at night. Written by Juan Calle of Colombian art studio Liberum Donum in both English and Spanish, it is a bilingual treat for those who can read in both languages, or would like to learn...As a parent of two girls, I appreciate seeing strong female characters defeating the bad guys, as shown above in the fierce Archer who holds back the pack of scowling Cyclops. Those who love details can peer closely at the pictures and see the names of mythical and storybook creatures worked into the illustrations. The underlying message in Good Dream, Bad Dream is that imagination is strong enough to fight back their fears–so comforting for kids who worry about bad dreams. And while I can’t guarantee a night free of worries, it’s a great message for kids to hear as often as possible." - Cool Mom Picks

"Seven talented artists came together to illustrate the vibrant, comic book stylized drawings in Good Dream, Bad Dream. The full-color pages offer visual cues into the characters of the various creatures and champions who make appearances in children’s’ minds all across the world" - Mixed Diversity Reads

"Julio is afraid to go to sleep until his papa explains to him that every culture has heroes to battle monsters. Though non-rhyming, the simple text has a pleasant rhythm in both Spanish and English. Many cultures and time periods are represented by the brightly colored heroes battling the multitudes of cartoonish monsters that clutter each spread."

"Enlisting the powers of some awesome heroes transforms a child's nightmares into commanding dreams in this bilingual flight of the imagination. Julio's nightly search for monsters lurking in his room is interrupted by his father, who reminds the boy that 'for every bad dream, you can have a good dream to help defeat your fears.' Papa lists all the conquering heroes for each scary creature. A mighty hunter will take care of a snarling mammoth, a crafty falcon will catch a scary scorpion, a strong wrestler will defeat a roaring jaguar, and so on. Julio's confidence and assertiveness grow with each new dueling scenario Papa introduces. The bad dreams are presented in the active, anime-style digital scenes as ghoulish, roaring, teeth-gnashing, eye-popping creatures. Plucked from many world mythologies, the characters are rendered in dark, opaque colors with the occasional explosion of red and yellow, and they are drawn with sharp, jagged lines, making each tableau jump off the page. Children will notice how Julio's expression grows increasingly stern, bold and intimidating, as well as how his garb and even skin tone change to match the various legendary heroes he emulates. English text appears over Spanish in every spread, with key words printed in uppercase letters. The clever approach to an age-old bedtime issue will help strengthen vulnerable little minds with some resilient thinking."

"This book could not have come at a better time. Lately, Diego has been struggling with bad dreams. He actually says they are nightmares and it really worries me! No one likes to have bad dreams that feel so real. The worst part of our situation is that Diego thinks that what goes on in his beautiful head while he sleeps is all his doing. Therefore, when something bad happens, he thinks he has caused it. Well now we can turn it around! Good Dream, Bad Dream is a perfect book for Hubby and me to read with Diego. We always turn to books to help us start conversations with our boys. Our seven year old loved it too because he really is into comics, can read in English and Spanish, and is going through the exact same situation as the main character, Julio. We are all learning that children like Julio and Diego have bad dreams. But at Julio's bedside, his papá comforts him and tells him that anyone can summon mythic avengers to conquer their fears. Every culture has its own historic champions who can vanquish scary creatures or villains. And as Julio's father introduces those heroes, Julio learns that his imagination is very powerful and can turn his bad dreams into good ones...If you are looking for a good bedtime story, Good Dreams, Bad Dream is perfect. Here at Mommy Maestra we really believe that books are great conversations starters for lots of important topics. Dreams shouldn't just be brushed off! Bravo to Juan Calle and Serena Valentino for understanding children and showing just how important and powerful their dreams can be!" - Mommy Maestra

“My oldest daughter has taken Spanish all throughout high school, so the younger boys enjoyed hearing her read the Spanish interpretations. Even if Spanish is not a language that is familiar to your family, the translation included on each page can be a learning opportunity.” - Just a Little Creativity