What a Bad Dream

The beginning of the story makes the reader question the title of the book. In Little Critter's dream, he drinks a potion that transforms him into a monster with fangs and claws and wings. His appearance is so fearsome that he scares off his family, and has free reign of the house. That means he can eat whatever he wants for meals, even dessert, and he never has to take a bath. He can adopt that pet gorilla he has always wanted, and doesn't have to follow the rules at the store. He skips school. He stays up as late as he wants. So far, the dream sounds like wish fulfillment for little children. Why is the book called a bad dream, then? Towards the end, Little Critter is feeling sleepy even though he doesn't have a bed time. He realizes show more nobody is there to tuck him in or read him a story. He starts to cry, and nobody is there to comfort him. Until his parents shake him awake and assure him he was just having a bad dream. Perhaps one of my favorite books in the Little Critter series, this story is a perfect example of how Mayer blends comical stories and subtle lessons, how he captures a child's perspective but includes humor for adults. What a wonderful way to teach children that the cost for making all the rules is being completely independent, and that they aren't ready for that yet. I love the ending, when Little Critter's mom brings him milk and he double checks to make sure it's not a potion, because he doesn't want to drink a magic potion. Also, the story is even more imaginative than usual, as Little Critter transforms into a monster and rampages through his town with a gorilla. My girls and I love reading this book together. show less

This book was about the little critter who was having a bad dream. In his dream he was able to do whatever he wanted and his family did not bother him. The big idea of this story was that he learned that as a child, listening to your parents is what’s best, and not telling them to leave you alone. I liked this book for two reasons. The first reason was because of the illustrations. For example, the cover was a very good depiction of the title “What a Bad Dream”. It showed him looking into the mirror and his reflection was him as a monster. The second reason I liked it was because of the big idea of the story. Most children think they would enjoy if their parents left them alone to do whatever they wanted. But the little critter show more got sad and cried because he missed them and realized all the important things his parents do for him. show less

I enjoy most of the Little Critter books. I found this book to be funny and gave the perspective of a little kid. I enjoyed how this book was written in the first person point of view. The main character did different things a little kid might want to do if he/she was in charge of himself or herself. For example, “I had cookies and ice cream for breakfast”, is something a little kid might want to eat if they could eat what they wanted. I also enjoyed the illustrations. Each page is filled with such detail that corresponds to each page. There are plenty of different colors that make the pages come to life. The main idea of this story is that a child may think he/she is old enough to decide what is best for them but ultimately they show more still need someone to look out for them. show less

great for younger grades around halloween, creative, great pictures.

I read this to my seven-year-old niece while my husband added sound effects. My niece enjoyed the book. She is not necessarily prone to nightmare or bad dreams but she was telling me about a scary movie she saw recently & she worked to keep it from scaring her. This story was apropos since we talking about being scared and what to do to keep things light. I hope my husband & I created a memory for her while showing her how to bring on a smile when fear rears its ugly head.

This is a wonderful story that allows readers to relate to the issue of bad dreams. The little creature in this story is a character that shows readers that everyone has bad dreams and that it is okay. It makes it a ownderful fantasy tale.

This is another cute and cheap book by Mercer Mayer. Little Critter is having bad dreams and gets scared about them all. The book talks about his dreams and how he reacts to them. In the end, Little Critter discovers that everyone has bad dreams and he'll be ok. I wouldn't necessarily read this aloud to my kids but I would have it in my classroom library.