Dreamcatcher

Rating:
Summary: Informational Book
Review: On the Ojibwa Islands of the Great Lakes many people wove nets to protect their babies from harmful dreams. They would weave a dream net on a willow hoop. It would look just like a spider web but the net would be woven of twine. Then they stained it red with the juice from the berries. They believed that this would catch the bad dreams like almost like a spider web catches flies. Then the good dreams would drift through the hole in the center of the dream catcher. The parents always told the children to try to dream and try to remember what they dream. They did this because the believed that every dream had a meaning. If you had a bad dream it was though that something bad was going to happen to you or your family. If you had a good dream it was thought that something good was going to happen. I didn't really enjoy this book because it didn't really grab my attention. It had a good story and legend behind it but the way they explained it didn't interest me. I would recommend this book though if you want to find out the meaning behind a dream catcher. ~ Katelyn Carson

Rating:
Summary: Dream Catcher by Audrey Osofsky
Review: This is a story of a day in the life of the Ojibway Indians of the Great Lakes. The story is based on the baby of the tribe, whoses sister weaves a dreamcatcher. A dreamcatcher is a net, which is used to catch bad dreams, holding on to them until sunrise when they will be destroyed. This net was made for the Ojibway baby who watches its family through the day as they work and play, lulled into a restful slumber by the dreamatcher.

This is a wonderful story of how this tribe treasured their good dreams as a source of wisdom. It is very captivating for young readers to relate to dreams in this manner, also comparing the games that the children of this culture play. This poetic text uses a rhythm to keep the young reader interested. The beautiful pastel illustrations are used in an impressionistic way to keep the reader in that dream-like feelng.