The Sleepwalkers by Viviane Schwarz

The Sleepwalkers Reviews

• 
  Dave Schaafsma

  Got a ten year old night terror sleepwalker in this house, so when I saw this at the library,I thought, hey, maybe there's a solution in it. And wouldn't you know, there is, The Sleepwalkers to the rescue: A bear, Bonifacius, who comes from a quilt; a sock monkey; and a crow created from a fountain pen. There's a Safe House that space and time travels to rescue children.
  
  The bear is the best, because he is also scared, and mellower than the other two, and a model for kids facing fears.
  
  Looks like Schwarz makes this fun with pencil drawings, digitally colored. I think the panels feel a bit cramped and packed with information for someone facing dreamless and sleepwalk-less sleep. There's a lot of crazy running around and saving action, which could at the very least get kids to laugh, but I just think it feels sort of . . . manic. But okay, it's colorful and fun and inventive.
  
  But hey, I'm not the sleepwalker in the house, now am I? And this book seems to have been written for 7-10 year olds, so I got a target audience sample right here. I will see what she thinks and if she summons The Sleepwalkers in her sleep, I'll let you know.
• 
  Hilary

  Beautiful book, wonderful illustrations, particularly good observations of a dog. Some great characters and lots of creativity. There is a lovely breakfast moment with a great quote 'Don't talk to him before he's had some tea, it's cruel' how true, especially true on weekend mornings !
  
  There is an instruction page on how to make one of the characters in the story out of old socks. My 11 yr old tried this and it worked really well.
  
  The story revolves around characters created in a dreamland to help children conquer their fears in their dreams. It's a lovely, sensitive and reassuring story. If I were a child having bad dreams I'm sure I would find this book a comfort.
• 
  John

  OMG what a book. The age recommendation on the back cover says 7-10. Well, I'm a few decades past that, but this is the best thing I've read this year, hands down. An utterly perfect treatment of dreams, nightmares, friendship, trust, and a subtle, very natural kind of magic. *Superb!*
• 
  Popzara Press

  But more than anything, Schwarz treads confidently with a story that demonstrates a profound respect for readers, regardless of age, one that never underestimates or speaks down to them. Beautifully illustrated in both style and substance, The Sleepwalkers is not padded with shallow feel-good affirmations and over-populated with stock characters, which may frustrate those with a need to have everything spelled out for them (or their younglings). It rewards those who give in to its infectious sense of optimism in discovering one’s own place in the world. It would be a mistake, given the author’s previous work, to think this a story only for younger readers. This is a special book, written and drawn by a special person, intended for everyone.
  
  
  The Sleepwalkers Review on Popzara
• 
  Mathew

  Charged with the job of protecting children from nightmares, the Walkers recruit a band of dream warriors to take over the job. Bonno (once a blanket, now a bear), Sophia (once a quill, now a crow) and Amali (a sock monkey) must fight their own fears and insecurities as they battle the insecurities which inhabit and inhibit the lives of children - from falling to being caught with no clothes on at school.
  I enjoyed every page of this graphic novel. There were points where I felt a little lost and confused but this only encouraged a second, richer reading because of it. Schwarz's sketchy, style lends to the dream-like shift in action and I can see her world sparking brightly in the imagination of its child readers.
• 
  Laura Baker

  Every now and then, you come across a truly excellent children's book. A children's book that you want to share with everyone, and hang pictures of on your wall, and save for you future kids. This is one of those books. Just extraordinary. ❤️
• 
  Deadly Knitshade

  Utterly lovely. Odd. Magical. Brilliant.
• 
  Stephanie

  Sweet graphic novel about the sleepwalkers who save kids from their bad dreams. The illustrations are cute and fuzzy and fierce, just like dreams.
• 
  Cheryl

  I can almost understand why others would like this. But it didn't work for me. Even though it's short, I just had to give up.
• 
  Anna Reads

  I LOVED this book!!! I stumbled across it completely by chance in a charity shop, and absolutely fell in love. I really do hope that there’s a sequel or a prequel one day - I want to know more about the lovely sheep! Also I’d love to hear more about the final two pages and what Schwarz wanted them to mean exactly, and what the reader should take from them. It was just such a delightfully imaginative, entertaining, whimsical, cosy and funny book. I loved it!
• 
  Gaby

  adorable and surreal like all the best dream based fiction
• 
  Andy

  Fun and whimsical story
• 
  Samantha

  This imaginative graphic novel introduces readers to the team of Sleepwalkers, creatures that aide young sleepers in conquering their nightmares. The Sleepwalkers are called to action via letters they receive at their traveling house and they march off to rescue the dreamers and battles the beasts that torture them in their slumber.
  
  Artwork consists of pencil illustrations that were digitally colored.
  
  This book has a timeless feel. The premise is awesome and makes for a book that is sure to beloved by many children the world over and read time and again. I liked the way certain characters were created by the elder Sleepwalkers and I also liked the objects that were used to create new Sleepwalkers. This book is creative in a way that is inspiring. Being that everyone has nightmares I think this book has a wide appeal range as I could see parents sharing it with pre-readers and newly independent readers exploring it for themselves.
• 
  Barbara

  Children who are frightened by their nightmares often write letters to the Sleepwalkers, a team of animals that goes up against anything that frightens children in the night. Like a tooth left under the pillow for the tooth fairy, the letters are also placed under pillows. While I like the idea of someone being willing to fight the fears of children while also tackling their own fears, there were several scenes that left me confused or called for multiple readings. And I'm still not completely sure that I understood everything. Having to turn the book sideways at various points added to my confusion--and I'm usually patient with this sort of thing. The illustrations, created in pencil and then colored digitally, are quite imaginative and filled with interesting characters, including Sophia, fashioned from the nib of a pen.
• 
  Emma

  The Sleepwalkers are the guardians of dreams, and the current crew, made up of three sheep, is up for retirement. They create their replacements (a bear, monkey, and crow) and train them in the art of fighting nightmares. The Sleepwalkers essentially go into children's nightmares to help fight off whatever scares them. My favorite nightmare was about a boy who dreamt he was falling to his inevitable death (I’ve had that dream before!). The Sleepwalkers pointed out that he was falling through a bottomless dream so he would never hit the ground. This turned the nightmare into an out-of-this-world fantasy where the boy could flip and fall without fear! As the new recruits train, they must first overcome some of their own fears so that others can sleep soundly.
• 
  Amanda

  When children call for help from their nightmares, three magical sheep come to the rescue. Now, after a lifetime of work, they must train their replacements: a bear, Bonifacius,created from a quilt; a monkey created from socks; and a crow created from a fountain pen. Sleepwalkers is an action-packed, avant garde masterpiece filled with fantastical and imaginative dreamscapes; most notably the mythical safe house that travels through time and space to rescue children. And sweet Bonifacius, while terrified, bravely completes his training and serves as a touchstone and inspiration for children who must confront their fears.
• 
  Kim

  It is the job of three woolly creatures to help children to escape their nightmares and go through the door of the Safe House to return home.
  In this sweet, and sometimes scary, graphic novel, the three kind-hearted butt kicking woolly heroes are transferring their power to a new team of Sleepwalkers. Tween readers (ages 9-11) will enjoy the sweet and wise bear, overactive monkey, creepy bird, and optimistic dog who shine through the story. The nightmares are realistic and children will be able to relate to the fear experienced by the children in the story. However, our heroes save each child, reminding children that nightmares always end when the dreamer wakes up.
• 
  Stephanie Tournas

  I loved this graphic novel by a favorite picture book author. A cadre of quirky yet comforting creatures saves kids from their nightmares. There are monsters but this team of Sleepwalkers is up to the task of confronting the worst dreams that the imagination can conjure.
  
  The Sleepwalkers team is made up three elderly tea-drinking sheep. They are ready to retire and must recruit and train their successors. The scenario is surreal, but the characters are so charming and human (in the best possible way.)
• 
  Dolores

  3 1/2 stars. Beautiful artwork and a surreal story combine in this one. "The Sleepwalkers" help children deal with nightmares, but they are aging and ready to retire. So before they can leave, they must create and train their replacements. The nightmares range from scary to silly, and the new heroes have fears of their own to deal with. All of these issues are extremely relatable to young readers, but I found myself losing the thread of the story from time to time. All in all the positives outweigh the negatives, and the art is just stunning.
• 
  Kaethe

  Cool idea, good execution except, wow, I'm getting old and the frames were just slightly too small to be comfortable reading. It was a slight struggle to read and to decipher the pictures. Not a lot, just a tiny bit too small, so that the whole thing was just a little bit too hard to enjoy.
  
  That said, Natasha who is eleven and also doesn't wear reading glasses loved it.
  
  Library copy.
• 
  Sara-Zoe Patterson

  Strange and beautiful, a winning graphic novel combination for me. Children write letters about their nightmares and put them under their pillows. The Sleepwalkers are creatures who live in the dream world and battle the monsters. The original Sleepwalkers take on apprentices to replace themselves. I'm curious about how this one will go over with kids, who love Bones and Amulet, so get the strange and beautiful thing.
• 
  Jennifer

  I really loved the dreamlike feeling of the artwork which is full of sweeping vivid color. I thought the idea of sweet and fluffy animals saving children from nightmares was brilliant. There were some panels I didn't quite understand how to follow, and I still had questions at the end, but I suppose that could be interpreted as purposefully constructed to mimic the absurdity of dreams and nightmares. I would give it 5 stars, except for the fact that I feel like I needed more answers.
• 
  Mindy

  Sometimes we all want superheroes for our dreams, and this book will make you wish it was real and help you not to need the Sleepwalkers at all. I really loved it, though I wasn't sure what to make of it at first. It begins with a bad dream and ends with a feeling that we might be able to face anything. Wonderful look at facing your fears for kids (ages 7-10).
• 
  Christiane

  When kids have bad dreams they can write a letter, put it under their pillow, and the sleepwalkers will come into their dreams and rescue them! But the guardians are getting old, and it’s time for new ones to take over. While this sounds super sweet and cutesy the story and the artwork are definitely aimed at older kids (maybe fans of Amulet or Elsewhere) and the nightmares are quite scary!
• 
  Martha

  I found the images and descriptions of nightmares in this very original graphic novel slightly disturbing. That said, I think kids will relate to the nightmares readily, and will enjoy the directions for how to make a sock monkey. Even though it is recommended for 7-10 year olds, the concepts and vocabulary work better for 10 year ols and up.
• 
  Christine

  An interesting graphic novel filled with adventure and hope for fighting off those nightmares that plague many of us. Readers will enjoy learning about the sleepwalkers and how they fight off the scary nightmares with their safe house. A few elements in the story were a bit confusing and I had to re-read portions at times, but it was a delightful and engaging book.
• 
  Robyn

  Some dreams are scary every time. There is nothing you can do - except wake up. p.74
  A fun graphic novel for older elementary and even middle school. I found some of the wording difficult to understand, but that could be due to the translation. I love the idea of heroes that will help you battle your nightmares if you write them a letter and leave it under your pillow.
• 
  Carissa

  I kind of love this book. It's a little odd and there are some somewhat scary moments (the book is all about dealing with bad, scary dreams after all), but the message is so comforting that my son actually wrote a letter (that read "anything bad") and tucked it under his pillow (you'll have to read the book to figure out why).