What a Bad Dream

We have a lot of these, because they're so inexpensive.

I don't like how Little Critter spends most of his dream being mean to his parents. Sure, he eventually feels lonely and sad and wakes up from his nightmare (since that's what it is), but it still sits wrong with me.

This is another cute and cheap book by Mercer Mayer. Little Critter is having bad dreams and gets scared about them all. The book talks about his dreams and how he reacts to them. In the end, Little Critter discovers that everyone has bad dreams and he'll be ok. I wouldn't necessarily read this

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aloud to my kids but I would have it in my classroom library.

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This story deals with the issue that little critter is having bad dreams. It shows the students that he eventually wakes up and everythins turns out to be fine. The other hidden point that the book makes is that being mean to your parents and doing whatever you want get lonely and boring after a

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while.

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Little Critter has a bad dream. Many children think it would be great to not have to follow the rules their parents put in place and to be able to do whatever they want. This story shows that, at the end of the day, children need their parents' love and guidance.

He drinks a potion that makes him scary with wings and fangs, and his parents runs away from the house, leaving him all alone to do whatever he wants. He eats unhealthy, he does't brush his teeth, takes a shower, or change his clothes. But when night comes and realizes that he doesn't have anybody

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to tuck him into bed or bring him warm milk, he feels lonely and wakes up, to find that it was just a bad dream.

I like reading this to my students because at first he does what every kid would love to do, then makes them realize that you need family, that you need someone in your life, and can't live all by yourself.

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Cute book about a little boy who has a bad dream and becomes a "monster". This monster doesn't listen to his family and his family decides to go away and leave him alone. He wakes up from his dream and realizes that this is not what he wants at all and how important his family is to him, and the

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importance of following his parents rules and advice.

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The beginning of the story makes the reader question the title of the book. In Little Critter's dream, he drinks a potion that transforms him into a monster with fangs and claws and wings. His appearance is so fearsome that he scares off his family, and has free reign of the house. That means he

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can eat whatever he wants for meals, even dessert, and he never has to take a bath. He can adopt that pet gorilla he has always wanted, and doesn't have to follow the rules at the store. He skips school. He stays up as late as he wants. So far, the dream sounds like wish fulfillment for little children. Why is the book called a bad dream, then? Towards the end, Little Critter is feeling sleepy even though he doesn't have a bed time. He realizes nobody is there to tuck him in or read him a story. He starts to cry, and nobody is there to comfort him. Until his parents shake him awake and assure him he was just having a bad dream. Perhaps one of my favorite books in the Little Critter series, this story is a perfect example of how Mayer blends comical stories and subtle lessons, how he captures a child's perspective but includes humor for adults. What a wonderful way to teach children that the cost for making all the rules is being completely independent, and that they aren't ready for that yet. I love the ending, when Little Critter's mom brings him milk and he double checks to make sure it's not a potion, because he doesn't want to drink a magic potion. Also, the story is even more imaginative than usual, as Little Critter transforms into a monster and rampages through his town with a gorilla. My girls and I love reading this book together.

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I enjoy most of the Little Critter books. I found this book to be funny and gave the perspective of a little kid. I enjoyed how this book was written in the first person point of view. The main character did different things a little kid might want to do if he/she was in charge of himself or

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herself. For example, “I had cookies and ice cream for breakfast”, is something a little kid might want to eat if they could eat what they wanted. I also enjoyed the illustrations. Each page is filled with such detail that corresponds to each page. There are plenty of different colors that make the pages come to life. The main idea of this story is that a child may think he/she is old enough to decide what is best for them but ultimately they still need someone to look out for them.

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This book was about the little critter who was having a bad dream. In his dream he was able to do whatever he wanted and his family did not bother him. The big idea of this story was that he learned that as a child, listening to your parents is what’s best, and not telling them to leave you

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alone. I liked this book for two reasons. The first reason was because of the illustrations. For example, the cover was a very good depiction of the title “What a Bad Dream”. It showed him looking into the mirror and his reflection was him as a monster. The second reason I liked it was because of the big idea of the story. Most children think they would enjoy if their parents left them alone to do whatever they wanted. But the little critter got sad and cried because he missed them and realized all the important things his parents do for him.

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