Dreamcatcher

by Audrey Osofsky, Ed Young (Illustrator)

While a sister uses a dreamcatcher to catch bad dreams and hold them until the sun destroys their power, an Ojibwa baby sleeps peacefully in a cradle nearby. Full-color illustrations.

Genres: Picture Books, Native Americans, Cultural, Family, Native American, Historical Fiction, Indigenous

32 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's unfortunate that the illustrations so determinedly set this book in the far past of Ojjbway people with the buckskin clothing. I have not been able to verify whether the author is actually Native, or is telling this story of dreamcatchers from the white gaze. But the disconnect between the nightmare examples and the rest of the story about a Native baby seem disconnected - I cannot imagine such a detailed nightmare character is accurate for a child that young. I wanted an authentic dreamcatcher book, but I don't believe this is it.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author credits the work of Frances Densmore. She “heard an Indian drum” as a kid and followed it until she was 90, by visiting Ojibway villages to record songs on wax cylinders and study their culture. The author hears the call of the Indian drum in her books. I’d be interested to see what Frances has written. 

I liked the image of the tikinagan, their wigwam, with the orange and pink color of the sides, lit up by the sun.

Favorite line: ‘When the sun goes home to sleep, slipping under a red cloud blanket.’

The nightmares were random and weird, and I could see how the face of the 'raggedy man' would be scary to little kids. His carries a crooked cane, has a birchbark mask which glows like a ghost.
The dreams were odd too: 'bear paw poking in the doorway
the ghost leg sneaking in the wigman
bony long leg, moccasin stuffed with straw.'

And then a dream of an owl, which looked like a hawk.
The good dreams are of charms hung on the cradleboard, shells, feathers, birchbark cones of maple sugar, dancing to drums, kids playing leapfrog(that seems modern), racing Brother Squirrel, and ‘dreams of chewing on a duck bone.’ And of chasing butterflies.
Pretty random with the duck bone...

This wasn’t that good. Random in places. I’ve found I don't like lyrical writing. It just isn't pleasant reading to me.
I like the story behind this book more than the actual book.
The author is from Minnesota, which is part of the Ojibway's ancestral territory. She saw a dreamcatcher in a museum and it led to her researching Ojibway culture, which led to this book. 

The images aren’t my favorite either. I’m not into that style. Sort of fuzzy and obscure. I wanted them to be sharper and clearer, & with more detail. 
I like the idea of dreamcatchers though, trapping bad dreams in the net. Good dreams drift through the hole in the center. The bad dreams die in the morning light.

[Megan Billick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an excellent story about the love of family while teaching about customs of Native Americans. This would be a good book to teach in class if learning about Native Americans and their customs.

[Mely · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I appreciate the meaning and story behind this book, the writing was a bit complex for my little one to understand. And though she is only a preschooler, I myself had a hard time reading it aloud. The illustrations are a bit surreal and dreamlike.

[Jahnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations.

[A Meland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreamcatcher is about a family with a newborn baby and the dreamcatcher the big sister makes the baby to ward off bad dreams. The book begins by explaining the actions of each of the family members as a sort of glimpse into a day in their life. At night, the mother rocks the baby to sleep and the author details the bad dreams the that have been awarded away by the dream catcher. Afterwards, the author describes the peaceful, happy dreams the baby had instead.

The major theme of this story is family and protecting one’s kin from evil. Additionally, the book emphasizes the peacefulness of sleep and recognizes it as a beautiful respite after a long day.

I remember receiving this book for my birthday as a young child. My older cousin gave it to me along with a dream catcher to ward off bad dreams. Ever since then, I slept with a dreamcatcher above my bed. As a child, it served as reassurance that I will fall asleep peacefully, but as an adult I appreciate this book because I value a good night’s rest. I remember many of my dreams and have realized I can learn a lot about my current mindset from my dreams. If I am worried or stressed I am more prone to nightmares, but if I am content I will wake up refreshed after a good night’s sleep. I also like the emphasis on nature in this book. Throughout the story the family is outside either working or playing.

I would recommend this book as a way to teach children to overcome nightmares. Additionally, I think the constant presence of family throughout the story is a good reminder that family will always be there and family is important. One might discuss with a young child their good and bad dreams and use this story as an opportunity to explain what dreams are.

[Amber Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, what a great multicultural read and the illustrations are impressively done! This book captures the Native American life reflected through the process of making a "dream catcher." The reader can experience the culture and traditions of Native Americans through this creative tale! Definitely recommended for 3rd grade + due to context and word choices that may be beyond difficulty level.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet story, written in a lyrical verse that details the day-to-day activities of the Ojibwe and features an older child weaving a dreamcatcher for her younger sibling. It's a nice tale and has soft, colorful illustrations. The narrative is easy to read and very poetic. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Jobiska (Cindy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet. I liked how the borders were reminiscent of Ojibway embroidery. The somewhat vague pastel illustrations didn't live up to the text for me...except the illustrations of the bad dreams the dream catcher turned away, which could be rather scary for some kids! Passing along to my son's school.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale is so clearly Native American. You can feel it in the rhythm of the writing, in the nature-filled descriptions. This story about the making & function of the dreamcatcher almost feels like a lullaby, to be read in only soft tones to calm the reader. I am definitely a fan of this text & its beautiful illustrations.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mother crafts a dreamcatcher for her baby to ward off bad dreams ensuring only the good pass through. Pastel illustrations show the process by which dreamcatchers are made and show it in action. PreK-2.

[Lauren Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent book about the Ojibway Indians of the Great Lakes and the focus is on a baby of the tribe. The pictures are very beautiful and are full of colors that correlate with the emotions felt through the text. A very interesting book that can be integrated into a lesson as a hook.

[Kyle Greenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreamcatcher is a book that gives children insight into the vision of the Ojibway Indians of the Great Lakes. This would be a good book for children when they talk about different cultures and how dreams are told.

[Relyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was lyrical. That's about the only good thing I can say about it. It wasn't interesting. There was no plot. It was dull and the art was retro - and NOT in a good way. Even the lyrical language was a negative because I really think it makes the book pretty inaccessible to kids.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

pastels

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreamcatcher
Osofsky, Audrey
this is a cute story about how dreamcatchers were made and how they were traditionally used, also has some historical information in the back

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This explores Ojibwa culture and teaches, in a poetic, lyrical way, about dreamcatcher beliefs, their day-to-day lives, and the love families share.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

See: Grandmother's Dreamcatcher by B. McCain.