A bit confusing in places but apart from this a very good read. Personally I htink it should be aimed at slightly older children as well

The dream dragon takes control of your dreams at night. He’s not evil or naughty, but bold and fearless in keeping other dreams -especially scary ones at bay. Of course there are always other dreams trying to compete and we see how they flow and change. Probably suitable for ages 5-7.

It's cute, has fun sounds and has great art. Overall an easy win with most kids.

I read The Dream Dragon to a group of kids; ages 1, 3, 4, 5 and 8. The one year old was typical and wanted to touch the screen (read on an iPad) and flip the pages; no big deal. The 3 and 4 year olds were super excited to make the noises on the page. Once they learned them all (about 3 readings in a row later) they giggled each time it was a page with 'boo' or 'sniff, sniff', etc. Kids really love those funny noises!

The 5 and 8 year old were most interesting. The 8 year old told me that a T-rex isn't better than a dragon and he didn't believe that a T-rex could scare away a dragon. This started a whole argument between the 5 and 8 year old about dinosaurs versus dragons. When they couldn't decide they came back to me and asked me to read it again. So with just them I read it again and they told me that maybe a baby T-rex was really scary; but that a dragon would definitely NOT visit a girl in the end. LOL! I quickly let them know that girls love dragons too and reminded them of my dragon stuffy on my bed (yes I'm a chick). It's funny what kids get stuck on.

Overall the art is cute. Although I did wonder why the dream dragon's 'fire breath' was blue. Is it eco-friendly fire? (LOL) I think the average kid under 5 will find this to be a fun book and if they have scary dreams maybe you can convince them they to have a dream dragon all their own that helps them while they sleep!

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Such a creative premise! The titular dragon scares nightmares away with the help of pirates and a colorful cast of dream protectors.

I should maybe quit reading kids books. I picked up The Dream Dragon because it looked cute and I try to keep an eye out for books my nieces/nephews would enjoy. And it was a fine book, I just felt a little sad for the dragon.

The dream dragon protects the boy's dreams. He scares away the bad dreams, but he also pushes the good dreams to the edge, because he wants to be the dream the boy remembers. Then, a t-rex comes along and defeats the dragon. It is the new protector, but then comes along a superhero, then a pirate, and each, in turn, stars in the boy's dreams.

I like how the book first shows than not all monsters are scary. It also connects what we read about or learn about in real life to our dreams, which I think can be helpful for kids. At least it was when Amber was little. Knowing why she dreamed about something scary sometimes made it a bit better.

I felt a little sorry for the dragon though. In the end, he does show up in the girl's dream, though, so I guess it's okay.

The illustrations are simple, but cute. They're colorful, mostly darker shades - browns, greens, blues, dark oranges.

Overall, it's a nice bedtime story.

Beautiful illustrations. A small introduction to new dreams, nightmares, changing dreams and our imaginations

Dream Dragon wanted to be the main dream, the one that would be remembered in the morning.

He knew that other dreams would try to take his place.

As soon as they appeared, he pounced.

As quick as a heartbeat.

As sudden as a sneeze.

This is an original, interesting book about the strange creatures that populate our dreams. I initially felt that the Dream Dragon was quite scary (judge your children for this!), but felt quite sorry for him when he was replaced by the T-Rex. I liked how it drew parallels between our waking interests and what shows up in our dreams and the message it sends to children that dreams are only dreams - they can be fun or scary, but they melt away when you wake up.

Dream Dragon fought long.

Dream Dragon fought hard.

But the new dream was too strong.

It roared a great roar of victory as Dream Dragon limped to the edge of the boy's mind where it faded then disappeared.

What I liked: Original idea, could be useful to discuss with children - dreams feel so real at the time but they are nothing to be scared of.

Even better if: Feel that the drawing of the dragon could be scary for some more sensitive children.

How you could use it in your classroom: Discuss the differences between dreams and reality and how things make sense in dreams but stop making sense when you wake up. This would probably be better as a bedtime book at home, but could be tied into a writing topic about fantasy and creative writing.

Thank you to Netgalley, Xist Publishing, Kathryn England and Valeria Issa for providing an ecopy of this book. I read The Dream Dragon to my school-aged children and they loved it. This story is beautifully illustrated which helps bring the tale to life. We all loved how Dream Dragon ferociously chased the bad dreams away each night. This is a cute, short bedtime story that is perfect for younger audiences.

As the title states, the dragon appears when the little boy’s asleep, and is jealous of all other dreams, chasing them away. But then he’s beat, and then that dream gets beat, and so on. Luckily the dragon found someone else’s dream to inhabit.
The PR claims the dragon chases away the nightmares, but it’s clearly stated that he doesn’t stand for nice dreams either. His replacement isn’t any better, as well as being much scarier. I’ve probably missed the point of this, or perhaps there is no point and it’s just a book of drawings to get a kid to go to sleep, though it might have the opposite effect if kids think they’re going to encounter some of these dreams when they close their eyes.

I like the idea behind this book - a series of dream protectors for a little boy, helping to keep nightmare at bay. However, I found the execution of the idea wasn't the greatest. I found the storyline quite confusing and could only just follow what was going on, and if I as an adult found it a little tricky to follow, I'm sure children may have the same problem. I had to read it a few times to make total sense of it. I would have liked to have seen a more simplified story with a better flowing narrative. I have seen other people comment that this should be aimed at slightly older children, and due to the confusing storyline I would have to agree.

The Dream Dragon by Kathryn England. Illustrated by Valeria Issa. Xist Publishing. Children's Fiction. Recently published in July 2017. Entertaining book to help your child deal with bedtime fears. Reading aloud may be great fun for a young family. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Xist Publishing for providing this ebook for review.

A very original kids book, with really vivid and wonderful illustrations. A nice mix of scary and fun for the little ones as they prepare for bed. Dream Dragon is determined to be the main/only dream in his little boys head, scaring off the other dreams (good dreams and bad dreams). Until another creature turns up to rival dream dragon. Even though this isn't in rhyming verse, it flows very well, and holds interest in the read-aloud words. The illustrations are strong and interesting, adding to the story in a big way. A very good read for little ones.

Illustrations are beautiful and I think that children who loves dragons will adore this book!

This is a bedtime story that may be more suited to older children (5 and up). In this book, the dream dragon, scares away the boy's bad dreams. He also works very hard to inhabit all his dreams so he will remember him, but the boy still does not remember. The dream dragon is finally defeated by a T-Rex after a battle and he over his job. The boys continues to dream and the T-Rex is beaten by a super-hero who is forced to walk the plank by a pirate and so on. A story that could be used to show children that bad dreams won't hurt you. The illustrations are quite well done, yet not too scary for children. A good book to add to a family library for bedtime reading.

A very interesting concept but one that I feel was not actualized as well as it intended to be; something felt missing.

This was interesting. A dragon to protect a small child from bad dreams...I'm afraid the suggestion of a dragon in a dream would cause nightmares for some small child! Be forewarned- not for timid children! Illustrations were nice.

I'm not very impressed with this story. I always read the book first before reading it to my kid. I will not be reading this book to my kid. The illustrations are dark, not colourful at all and the story is mediocre.

Such an imaginative book. When you sleep, you dream. And the dream dragon wants to be the star of the show. But eventually his run is over and a new main dream comes in, and then another, and another. But the Dream Dragon will be back. Somewhere, someday. The illustrations are so fun and unique, and the story is lovely. A book that I will be sharing with my family.

This was a novel story for us. The Dream Dragon infiltrates a little boy's dream to scare all the other bad dreams awake. As the story unfolds, things the boy encounters and learns about during the waking hours permeate his dreams. Will the Dream Dragon be able to last? He longs to be the only thing the boy remembers. What will happen to the Dream Dragon if a new dream hero takes his place?

The illustrations are well suited to the feelings evoked in the tale. This would be a good library addition.

Can we control our dreams?

Do we decide what we dream about?

How do we not have nightmares?

All these questions will not get answered in this cute picture book about a Dream Dragon, that wants to be the only dream rembered when a boy awakes in the morning, and to do so, he chases away all dreams, both good and bad. He feels he is protecting the boy, but at some point, the boy's dream is taken over by a T-Rex, and the Dream Dragon is chased away.

But do not mourn, because the dream dragon finds a home in a little girl's dreams.

Cute story. Good as a bedtime story, and to discuss what we dream about the and what sort of dreams we like or don't like. Great pictures. Very enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.