Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Imaginative tale of sleepy hero who fights kids' nightmares.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
The Man in the Moon watches over the children on Earth, providing a giant night-light to keep kids safe from nightmares as they sleep. But he feels he needs a helper "when the moon is less than full and bright," including on foggy or cloudy nights. So he asks Sanderson Mansnoozie, or Sandy, once the pilot of a shooting star on which children would wish, to help him. Sandy must overcome his own fear to defeat Pitch, the Nightmare King, and his Dream Pirates.
Is It Any Good?
The story and cosmology are a bit complex but should still be captivating as a read-aloud for little ones, especially at bedtime. The luminous illustrations in THE SANDMAN are spectacular and fit the fantastical nature of this inventive story set in the heavens among planets, shooting stars, constellations, and creatures from "the ocean of the sky"-- mermaids, sea turtles, a seahorse steed, and talking seashells. The main character, short, sleepy, roly-poly Sandy, is cute and appealing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about nightmares and where kids think they come from. Do you wish you could banish nightmares?
What do you think of the art in The Sandman? How does it help tell the story?
If you read The Man in the Moon, how do you think The Sandman compares?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : William Joyce
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Atheneum
- Publication date : October 2, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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