Sweet Dream Pie

by Audrey Wood, Mark Teague

From two of today's most talented creators of children's books comes an outrageously delicious tale about an irresistible pie.

Imagine a pie made of chocolate, gumdrops, licorice -- and every sweet ingredient you love. Bestselling author Audrey Wood teams up with popular illustrator Mark Teague to concoct a tale about a pie so irresistible it can't be forgotten -- and the sweet dreams that result.

Here is an entertaining story for bedtime or anytime -- that children and adults will share again and again.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Food, Humor, Fiction, Cooking, Fantasy

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Audrey Wood studied art and drama at the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has owned an operated a book and import store, taught chldren's drama and art, and traveled throughout Mexico and Guatemala studying Indian folk art. She now lives in Hawaii with her talented family (husband Don and son Bruce, who have both collaborated with Audrey by illustrating some of her books).

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

After overindulging in Ma Brindle's sugar-stuffed pie, her neighbors' crazy dreams come out to play. Mark Teague's amazing artwork is far stronger than Wood's story, and I particularly love the pages where the "dreams" - wacky monsters, giant apes, and dinosaurs - roam the nighttime streets.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, imaginative story with charming illustrations. This is one of my personal favorites. For some reason it has left a lasting impression on me.

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this one. Written by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Mark Teague, who combined to give us the great Flying dragon Room, comes this charming little book.

Sweet dream pie is about, literally, just that a sweet dream pie. Anyone who eats from this fabulous pie gets wonderful dreams, but be careful if you over eat those dreams can turn into nightmares. This is what happens when you make enough sweet dream pie for the whole neighborhood.

[Cosette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yummy

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite illustrator? Check.
Can't save the weirdness of the writing? Also, alas, check.
I usually love Audrey Wood, and was so so stoked to see a duo with Teague that I hadn't already consumed. However, beyond the ick factor of combining marshmallows, lollipops, butterscotch, and chocolates into a ginormous pie, I couldn't get past the a) strange way the pie impacted the neighborhood of Willobee Street (even the cats) on a visceral level and b) whether or not the "dreams" the townspeople had from overindulgence in said pie were actually allegories for diabetic hallucination. Was it cosmic regret? Was it a knock against the sugar industry? Was it just randomly scrapped together? Who knows.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pa Brindle has a hankering for a piece of Ma Brindle's sweet dream pie, as they make the pie all the neighbors on Willobee St., with the exception of Amy McPherson wait for a piece of the sweet dream pie. Ma Brindle warns them to only eat one slice, or their sweet dreams will get out of control, but no listens. What happens next, only Ma Brindle, and Amy McPherson will be able to remember.

[CLesp · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild adventure of pie making. The parallel to the weather and mood cannot be miseed. The book is also inclusive of those who cannot eat certain sweets due to allergens and/or other. I imagine reading this book to a little one after supper and dessert or right before bed especially if they experience big, excited, or even scary dreams.

[Lee Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky, but a little long-winded. I think perhaps this book is better for kindergartners or first-graders, not pre-pre-k kids, which was the age group I was asked to read it to. The kids got antsy halfway through because it was so text heavy. But overall it was a memorable story. 3/5 stars.

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pa can't sleep and is really craving a slice of Ma's sweet dream pie. The entire street turns up to taste the interesting pie. Even though Ma warns to only have 1 slice, Pa doesn't listen, and pays the consequence. A cute and very imaginative story, my 2nd graders really enjoyed it.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite read aloud with my daughter.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about the dangers of over-indulgence. The illustrations and storytelling are superb.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. This was a bit strange and hard to follow.

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Audrey Wood's whimsical stories. I love Mark Teague's illustration style. I love this book.

[Adrienne Furlong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always wanted to eat it

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was nice. Almost reminded me of cloudy with a chance of meatballs. I loved the illustrations by Mark Teague, and I thought the story was nice.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like how the outside world was affected by the making of the pie and how eating too much made you have weird dreams rather than sweet dreams.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a different kind of story....not my favorite...

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture Book #2: This is a wonderful book with great imagery. It's easy and appropriate for children, but is fun for adults as well. This makes you want to eat some pie!

[English 212 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures in this book were amazing. The whole page from top to bottom and both sides were full of color and life. The pictures to me made the story. I think the message in this is very subtle or may be very different for someone else, but to me this book was about how not always getting something you want may be for the best. Everyone wants to eat Ma's pie and everyone is told not to eat too much or else, except for Amy. Amy really wants to eat the pie, but is not allowed because it makes her sneeze. At the time of all the pie eating, she is upset that she does not get to taste its deliciousness and do what everyone else is doing. However when night falls and everyone is trying to sleep, their dreams get out of hand and escape their minds. I really love the creativity that this book inspires with weird dreams coming from too many sweets. I think many times we wants what we want and when we do not get to do it like everyone else is we feel left out or left behind. In the end, Amy was glad that she got to witness what everyone experienced because they ate too much, without having to toss and turn all night. I think this book is appropriate for its age group because it has more words and uses people rather than animals and the message is not quite so obvious. The reader is forced to think about the consequences of not doing as they were told. I would probably use this a read aloud. I really enjoyed looking at the full page spread of artwork in this book and loved how it was both relate-able and imaginative for the reader using people and dragons and monsters in the dreams.

[Emily Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is captivating, to say the least. It casts a spell over its audience, much like Ma Brindle's pie casts a spell over the neighborhood. The plot is intriguing, the artwork is enthralling, and the words seem to almost spill off the page.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a marvelous, detailed fantasy.

All day, Ma and Pa Brindle make an enormous "Sweet Dream Pie". The pie is clearly magical - every move the Brindles make to bake this pie is echoed on the street. When they roll out the dough, everybody falls off their bed onto the floor. When the oven is on, the street is hot. When they blow on the pie to cool it off, a breeze picks up in the neighborhood.

All the neighbors (except the little allergic girl) are invited to have a single slice of pie - but they eat too much, all of them, and promptly fall asleep, causing wild dreams to go up and down the neighborhood in a totally non-frightening way. The dreams are eventually swept away, and everybody gets a good night's sleep.

The story and the illustrations are wonderfully detailed, as I said. The only thing that ever prevents me from reading this book is that it's a long one - sometimes, you really don't have time for it and have to use a shorter book instead.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just before dawn, Ma and Pa Brindle go up to the attic to get the fixings for making sweet dream pie- a mysterious dessert that's sure to get everyone talking. The culinary confection takes a day to make and while its cooking (on a special setting on the oven) the neighborhood fills with irresistible scents. The people are lured in, and when the pie is ready, Pa brings out the enormous treat. Ma warns, "just one slice!" But hardly a soul can refrain and thirds and fourths are gulped down. As people drift off to sleep, their larger than life dreams float ghostly into the street and Ma is left to clean up the mess!

What a dreamy story! Wood and Teague's plump, likeable characters are bold and seem to step out of a child's imagination. What do you think would happen if the biggest, best dessert was put in front of you?! This story is perfect for a young audience, Pre-K to 2nd grade.

[Jane G Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son loved this book. It is wild and wacky and filled with sweets. I'm not so taken by it because now he wants to make a pie filled with every sweet thing in our kitchen! And... he talks about bad dreams more than I would like. He hasn't had any yet, but I'm not sure how smart it is to bring that subject up with little ones, even though it's all done in fun.

If you do tumble upon this book, read it with a Southern accent. So fun! The language flows so beautifully and you can become a Georgia girl in no time. Once in that mode, read "Book, Book, Book" by Deborah Bruss. That book takes a Southern accent well, too. What fun...

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my friends who is expecting her first baby asked for some children's books recommendations so I have started adding them. Audrey Wood is one of my very favorite children's authors and this is the book that introduced me to her. I love it! It feeds the imagination and the illustrations are cute. What I really love about Audrey Wood is the attention she pays to the rhythm of her words. They roll off your tongue and are a lot of fun to read out loud.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was, by far, one of the most prevalent and beloved picture books of my childhood. I loved the vibrant colors of the whimsical illustrations, and the concept (a pie made entirely of candy), while appalling to most adults, was entrancing to my sister and me. To this day, I still remember Inky King, and the fact that he looked like he'd "swallowed a bowling ball" after he had eaten a few to many slices of pie.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audrey Wood's writing is always magical and this tale is no exception. Ma's baking of a sweet dream pie sets the whole neighborhood into overindulgence resulting in Ma's sweeping up of monsterish creatures throughout the night until the effect wears off. Could be interpreted as a warning against overindulgence in sugary sweets!

[Natalie Cottam · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is most certainly one of my favorite kids' books EVER! it is so descriptively written, and the plot is so wacky and fun. every single one of my kids was completely captivated by it. it is out of print, so now i am on a mission to find a copy of this in hardcover for our collection. mark teague never disappoints, and audrey wood's words have never been better.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son's favorite.

I re-read this to now grown-up Connery for a virtual read-aloud while in COVID 19 crisis. As I read, I realized this is not one of MY favorites, but I was thrilled to read it with my son again for my Smith students. We also had a laugh off-camera about our tendency to like books with giant food. One of BOTH our favorites is the classic Giant Jam Sandwich (Lord).

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully quirky story about an older couple, Ma and Pa Brindle, who decide to bake a ginormous pie on a very hot summer day! The baking of the pie pretty much shuts down the entire neighborhood due to the added heat from their oven. When the pie is ready, Ma Brindle warns everyone to eat only one piece. No one listens. Bad dreams ensue.

The illustrations add extra flavor to the story. ;)

[Karen L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids also loved this one and insisted I add it to goodreads. We made our own sweet dream pie with fruity rice cereal (real colorful)and marshmallows following a rice crispy treat recipe. We added a little regular rice crispies too.