Julian, Dream Doctor

for ages 7 to 10

This is one of my favorites among my books. It's very funny, but touching, too.

This is how I came to write it.: For a couple of years I'd been thinking about a Julian book in which Julian would give his dad a special birthday present and a special birthday party--but at the party, everything would go wrong. But I couldn't think of a very special present that would make everything go wrong.

One afternoon, as I sat in the restaurant in Guatemala where I do my writing, in came Sergio Garcia, to sit down with me and tell me that when he was a child he had been terribly afraid of snakes--so as an adult he'd bought two snakes and kept them as pets, just so he could overcome his fear. The instant Sergio told me about his snakes, I knew I had my story.

Dad is napping in a hammock in the yard when Julian, little brother Huey, and their friend Gloria sneak up to ask him, softly, what he wants for his birthday and what's his dream? Dad, immersed in a terrifying nightmare, doesn't wake up, but mutters, "Two snakes. Big ones!"

Soon the trio are off on a quest for the gift and a party dad will never forget. What I like best about this book is that it shows children that fathers,too, have fears, and like children, must struggle to overcome them.

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"A truly funny book that had children aged seven upwards rolling around with laughter."--Child Education

"A warm and convincing black family. ...Cameron's well-realized characters and situations are impressive."--Booklist

"A delight for six to nine-year-olds, and a reassurance for any child frightened of creepy-crawlies."--Croydon Advertiser

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