DREAM RESCUERS

Ruby has failed at her job as a tooth fairy.

She flies away at the slightest perception of danger, unable to complete her tooth pickup mission. Now she must start anew somewhere else. Her only option is an advertised position as a Dream Rescuer, which sounds even scarier. While waiting for her interview, she meets the other two candidates. Ralph is a reindeer, demoted by Santa because he can’t keep still, causing the sleigh to overturn. Mighty is a tiny man who was bullied by colleagues in the Super Hero Rescue Service. Oscar, the head of the Department of Dream Rescue, accepts this triumvirate of misfits on a trial basis, assessing their ability to rescue children from their nightmares. He carefully explains the details of their first mission, providing them with tools and step-by-step directions. They are to rescue young Emma from the nightmare dragon that chases her. Their fears and foibles almost overtake them, but they prevail. Mighty plans strategy and bravely starts the process; Ralph puts his speed and agility to good use; and Ruby overcomes her terror and saves Emma. Lloyd creates an otherworldly place with a delightful cast of oddball characters and magical, ingenious devices, further enhanced by Cooke’s deep–grayish-green illustrations. The characters present White, and the names of the Dream Rescuers’ clientele indicate a bit of diversity. But there is a jarring omission: There are doorways to take Rescuers to North and South America, Europe, and Asia but not to Africa.

An otherwise charming work with a flaw too serious to make it wholeheartedly embraceable.