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This collection of stories is told in a way that makes the stories interesting for both the child and the person who is reading the story with the child. For the child, there are whimsical phrases and words that a child would find humorous and interesting. For an older person, there are references to objects or events that most likely only the storyteller, who is older, would know about and relate to which makes the stories more interesting for them. There are also things that happen in the stories that can stimulate conversations about where things come from and how things work that an older person could explain to a child. Also, the stories are told with a touch of humor that both the child and the storyteller can enjoy, but on different levels.
This book is very well-written and all the stories are fast-paced and interesting. There are many adventures that include things that a child and an adult can relate to and that can stimulate conversations between the storyteller and the child so the child can learn about various things. The stories are nonsensical, the way dreams can be, and there are plays on words and events told in such a way that make the stories quite enjoyable.
There are some things referred to in these stories that people from Australia can maybe relate to more easily and might need to be explained to someone not familiar with these things, but that creates opportunities for learning experiences also. For example, money is referred to in pounds rather than dollars, and some of the phrases used are more the way a person from Australia or England would say them.
There was just one instance where a wrong word was used. ‘There’ was used once when it should have been ‘their’, but that was the only structural mistake I found in these stories. The only question I have, that a child might have as well, is how does the older person know about the adventures if the child who had the adventure has no memory of them?
I would recommend this book of bedtime stories for children perhaps toddler age and up. I would encourage dialogue between the storyteller and the child though, especially in instances where the content of the stories might be a little mature or questionable for a younger child. In one instance, the story talks about a rabbit threatening to skin a child in retaliation for the child hunting the rabbit. A very young child might be disturbed by this even though this is a completely fictitious event that could only happen in a dream. The rabbit is a talking rabbit so the child should understand that the event isn’t real, but it would be good if there could be a discussion about things like that.
The book is written in simple enough language so an older child would be able to read the book to an adult or teenager, but the book should definitely be shared with an older person because then where there is more mature content, there can be a discussion about those things. In some instances, there are things mentioned in the book that probably only a person older than a child would know about. These things would be something that an older person could relate to and understand the humor of, but maybe the child wouldn’t. In one story, the characters are having a discussion about atmosphere and how there is more oxygen and atmosphere at the tops of trees, and how there is even more atmosphere at a bar on the other side of the moon. An older reader could relate to the atmosphere in a bar and understand the humor of the reference, but a younger person might not understand the different uses of the word ‘atmosphere’. It would be good for a child and the storyteller to have a discussion about how things in dreams can be weird and not like real life, as well as how words can be used differently.
I would rate this book as 4 out of 4 stars. It is very well-written, with a sense of humor that both a child and an older storyteller can relate to. There are references to things that would keep an adult interested, yet told in such a way that makes it fun and interesting for a child. I like this book of bedtime stories because it is a whimsical approach to bedtime, as well as an opportunity for the child to learn.
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