Julian, Dream Doctor

July 1, 1990
Gr 2-4- -Julian wants to give his father the perfect birthday gift-"something he had always dreamed of"-but he doesn't know what it is. He creates a brainwave machine, tries to receive signals from the TV antenna, and finally questions his father while he is sleeping. Because his father is having a recurring nightmare, he mutters "two snakes," and Julian, Gloria, and Huey set out to capture two snakes with predictably humorous results. Julian is a convincing character with a very real family, and children will identify with his desire to surprise his father, as well as delight in the anticipation of comic disaster when he delivers his gift. His relationships with his best friend, Gloria, and his gullible little brother, Huey, ring true. While Cameron's prose style sometimes seems to suffer from the easy-reader format, the short sentences and accessible metaphors make the first-person narration convincing. Fans of The Stories Julian Tells (Pantheon, 1981) and More Stories Julian Tells (Knopf, 1986) will not be disappointed by this companion title. -Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ