As the parent of a 3yo, I miss out on a LOT of sleep. Why? Because my youngest often doesn't want to go to sleep in his own bed. He says he's scared and wants to sleep right between mom and dad...which ends up with me on the edge of the bed, sweating from the little furnace that keeps trying to snuggle up against me.
So when, I received an email asking me to consider two new companion books that are sure to help children conquer sleep fears and turn bedtime into their favorite time, I readily agreed.
This is a sponsored book post that uses affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Dream Grabber and Dream Jumper were written by John R. Green, a multiple Emmy and Peabody Award-winning television news and documentary writer and producer. The books are centered around creating a comforting bedtime ritual to help children overcome their fears of going to sleep.
Dream Grabber is the first book in the series. In it, little A.J. is afraid of going to sleep because of the nightmares he sometimes has. So his Dada tells him about a secret gift he has to get rid of nightmares. The book encourages kids to use their imagination and focus on positive thoughts when they are alone in bed, and reinforces the idea that bedtime can be fun and they can look forward to their dreams.
Dream Jumper is the second book. And in this story, young Francesca is frightened of being alone in her dreams. So once again, Dada comes to the rescue by telling her about his secret ability to jump into dreams. The book teaches the same concepts of imagination and positivity.
Although the books encourage more fathers to engage with their kids in nurturing bedtime routines often associated with mothers, moms can still use the same techniques themselves. And I love that you can either read the book directly to your children, or simply use the story line to establish a routine by acting it out yourself. My son loves it when I tell him stories at night, so this works perfectly for us.
I love it when parents create products or services based on their own experiences with their children. Both books are based on bedtime rituals John created to help his own twins face their fears upon falling asleep. The goal with this release is not for John to become a well-known children’s book writer but rather to help other families, including non-traditional families like his, make bedtime less stressful.
The books have been endorsed by Kim Bergman, PhD, a Licensed Psychologist who says, "Dream Grabber is a charming and delightful bedtime story, beautifully validating a universal childhood fear rather than dismissing it." Each book encourages nurturing bedtime routines and helps children understand that dreamland should be an enjoyable and secure place to be.
But what I was also delighted to learn is that John is fully bilingual and used to teach Spanish and produce a Spanish language television show earlier in his TV career. He is raising his kids to be bilingual. And in the future, John would like to publish Spanish versions of the books.
I hope he does.
In the meantime, you can buy English versions of his books here: