Author-illustrator Iona Campbell explores the magic of dreams, and how shared reading can support a good night’s sleep.
Iona Campbell
The Dreamies is my debut children’s picture book, exploring the magic of dreams and what happens when those dreams turn suddenly into nightmares.
It all starts with a group of tiny cheeky creatures, wearing pointy hats, who live between the walls of our houses. At night, after grabbing their magic paints and magic brushes, they sneak into our rooms to paint our dreams! The only thing is that, just like us, the Dreamies may sometimes get distracted…
We spend a significant amount of time in our lives immersed in dreams. They can be happy, exciting, and filled with the things or people we love. This is true for both adults and children, but a key difference is that when dreams turn scary, children often lack the tools to calm and regulate themselves.
Sleep specialist Gemma Coe explains that the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for fear and anxiety, develops earlier than the prefrontal cortex, which helps process and regulate those negative emotions. As a result, although nightmares are a normal part of childhood, children are less able to rationalise their fears and can experience them much more intensely.
Gemma Coe adds in her ‘Note for Grown-ups’, which is included in The Dreamies, that younger children can struggle to separate dreams from reality, even after waking. For them, the boundary between real life and fiction is fluid, often making nightmares more overwhelming.
Reading and bedtime routines
It is important to create a consistent bedtime routine to support children through scary dreams and set them up for a peaceful sleep. Books can play an enormous role here, as shared reading is a simple but effective way to calm a child’s mind and signal that it is time to fall asleep.
The physical closeness of shared reading helps to foster a strong adult-child bond, which in turn makes them feel secure, loved and relaxed. This safe and calming rhythm at the end of their day can significantly improve sleep patterns and overall sleep quality.
If children have anxieties around sleep from previous or persistent nightmares, reading can be a fantastic tool to open conversations and help them overcome their fears.
Discussing nightmares is crucial to help children separate them from reality, so long as they are comfortable to do so, and sharing a diverse range of stories can help them develop empathy, emotional intelligence and language which in turn helps them to communicate their feelings.
Learning to reframe bad dreams
The Dreamies offers a practical way for children to take more agency over nightmares by demonstrating the power of reframing scary dreams. Using their imagination, they can turn a bad dream into something sweet or silly.
For example, if a child is chased by a large tiger in their nightmares – they could imagine it hanging out the washing or doing yoga, just like the girl in The Dreamies! This technique can be supported by adults, but it can also be one that children learn to do independently to soothe themselves back to sleep.
Gentle discussion and reassurance like this, in a safe environment, can promote feelings of relaxation. It may also be helpful to introduce a ‘sleep buddy’ – a soft toy or doll – who protects the child in the night.
Deep breathing, removing any stress triggers from their immediate environment and plenty of cuddles can all help a child recover from a nightmare and nurture a positive attitude towards sleep.
And if children are still nervous? The Dreamies are always there! Even if they do sometimes get a bit distracted…
The Dreamies love to paint amazing dreams for children to enjoy. If they get too scary, a little imagination can save the day. A charming picture book about the power of dreams.
There’s nothing quite like a lovely story before falling asleep. These books are sure to be a great bedtime read for any toddler or younger child will enjoy.
