Children’s Book Review: Dormouse Dreams

The power of dreams takes over in Disney’s newest children’s book about a little dormouse and his hibernation slumbers. Dreams are a common theme in Disney movies, although Dormouse Dreams takes the topic a little more literally than most. This bedtime story is perfect for kids capable of sleeping through anything.

In Karma Wilson’s story, dormouse sleeps while all of his friends play through the winter. Or is he dreaming about it the whole time? The activities they do are so loud and close to dormouse’s house, that their playtime should be waking him up. Dormouse has a lot of friends, including birds, squirrels, and wolves. But his best friend of all is another dormouse and he can’t wait for the day she knocks on his door to play again in the spring.

Rinata Lewski’s illustrations are delightful, interpreting Wilson’s words in unexpected ways. An example of this is when the text says “Chickadees chitter and a crow flies by,” the imagery is a crow piloting a biplane while the chickadees ride on the wings. The artwork is so imaginative and creative that you will want to linger on each page for a little while as you read it to your child.

The sleepy-time imagery in Dormouse Dreams makes it a perfect bedtime story for your preschooler. You can use it as an opportunity to talk to them about the dreams they see when they sleep and the fun things they can do the next day after a good night’s sleep.

Alex Reif
Alex joined the Laughing Place team in 2014 and has been a lifelong Disney fan. His main beats for LP are Disney-branded movies, TV shows, books, music and toys. He recently became a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA).