THE NIGHTMARE BUG

When the Nightmare Bug disrupts sweet dreams, Mama has a simple solution.

In this picture book in verse, Daecher sends a wailing child back to dreamland armed (so to speak) with a parental suggestion to find that nightmare bug and give it a good, loving…hug. A surreal chase (“The bug suddenly appears, and with him a crash, / as candy rains down on us like volcanic ash”) leads at last to “a big smooshy hug” that “makes the bug shrink smaller” and the rhyme scheme collapse likewise under the strain so that “the darkness of my dream glows brighter in color.” Still, black backgrounds do indeed brighten the colors of the plush toys, flowing blankets, hard candy, rainbow unicorns, and drowsily smiling sea creatures that accompany the tan-skinned sleeper through Hohenadel’s illustrations. A set of standard-issue parental tips and inane discussion questions (“Have you ever had the Nightmare Bug visit you in dreams? If so, have you ever thought about showing him love so he leaves your dreams?”) add a suitably dozy finish. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Soothing relief in a nightmare’s wake, though the strategy is simplistic and the narrative’s more a stumbler than a trotter.