Cute illustrations, but it never really addressed the topic of the title - there were only two pages that even showed children trying to catch the sandman and didn't adequately explain why it didn't work. (I know I'm overthinking it but still!)

We love these books. The sandman is probably one of my favorites. Such a fun goodnight book. We love the laughs!

A cute story just like all the other how to catch. My son loved it and wanted us to be a sandman after and sprinkle him with sand (imaginary of course).

Such magic! Such innocence! It’s like a beautiful dream reading this board book!

The perfect read along with the kids this coming Christmas/ winter! Get it! The illustrations are so beautiful and the writing pops out too which I feel will be visually pleasing for the target audience.

Thank you, Sourcebooks Wonderland, for the ARC.

Perfect for bedtime routine!!! We adore this book so much. We get to follow along with the sandman as he goes on his adventure to help everyone fall asleep. So wonderfully written with cute rhymes and calming text that will help settle your little one for bedtime. The illustrations are so beautifully done, vibrant and calming at the same time. It has become our new favorite story at bedtime. Your family will fall in love with this story too. 
There is a whole series and we can't wait to get them all.
We received this as an ebook ARC and we can’t wait to grab it to add to the home collection for bedtime. 

1000 stars for the sandman.

This latest installment in the How to Catch a series is AMAZING! This is the absolute perfect bed time story and my kids adored it. It's been the number one asked for book in my house for bed time. Once again the illustrations are fabulous and vibrant, the rhyming is fun and whimsical. This is going to be such a fun one to add to our growing collection!

This book is a quick and easy nighttime read for a parent to read to a baby/young child. It’s an ok read for a toddler or child learning to read. It’s not very long and very fast for an adult to read (less than 5 min bedtime story). In terms of narrative itself, I found the idea of an autobiographical pov from a sandman could be so much more exciting and interesting. The story wasn’t very interesting or exciting, nor did anything really happen I terms of the plot itself. It was an explanation of what he did, to who, when and how but just was very surface level and not something that I would like to read to my child multiple times for bedtime.Personally, I probably would not want to read it to then anymore than one time.
The illustrations I would give a rating of 4/5 because of how well done they were but they weren’t that exciting or interesting to look at. I received this book from netgalley as an ebook arc and the formatting was well down and was really nice to read on a kobo and kindle.

Meet the Sandman, as he tries to avoid traps and sprinkle happy dreams to sleeping children. This cozy, rhyming bedtime story can help get the little ones settled and relaxed for sleep, with a little extra motivation to find a dreamy adventure.

My First How to Catch the Sandman is a sweet story introducing the concept of the Sandman to young children. I loved the illustrations. They were so colorful and well done.

I received an ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Kids | Sourcebooks Wonderland via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My First How to Catch the Sandman by Alice Walstead is a wonderful children’s book about sleep. It is difficult sometimes to get children to go to bed. I think my granddaughter would love this book. Cannot wait to read this book to her.

My First How to Catch the Sandman by Alice Walstead is a delightful bedtime story that will enchant young readers and their parents alike. The book takes children on a soothing and imaginative journey as they follow the Sandman, who cleverly avoids traps set by children eager to catch him. With charming rhymes and simple STEM-based traps, the story is both engaging and educational.

The bright illustrations bring the tale to life, capturing the whimsy and magic of bedtime. Perfect for ages 0-3, this board book is an ideal addition to any child’s bedtime routine, sparking fun and imagination just before drifting off to dreamland. It also makes a wonderful gift for baby showers or festive occasions. My First How to Catch the Sandman is sure to become a cherished favorite for young fans of the How to Catch series.

this story is so sweet. I think the book would make a great birthday present. My son is 6 and he gave the story 4 stars, he said it was too short. As a parent, I think the story is just the right length.

Another successful book in this series!

We LOVE these in our house. This was very cute and entertaining as always. The illustrations were bright and colorful and fitting for the content. The content itself was as cute as ever. The only thing I can say about this was that there wasn't as many traps as there usually is. This was more a story about the Sandman himself. Given the title, I would have thought there were more traps. This does not take away from the story at all as this is still a very cute and entertaining story.

Either way, keep these coming!

Thank you NetGalley, Alice Walstead, and Sourcebooks Kids for allowing me to review.

This one was not as good as some of the other how to catch a... books but still enjoyable to read to my son.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this because the “how to catch” books are super popular. Given that this is a “My first” title, I’m assuming it’s a board book (the text and illustrations are giving board book vibes!). It has the familiar rhyming cadence that all of the “how to catch” books share. The illustrations are fun, and it’s really less about how to *catch* the sandman than it is about how the sandman…works? That he gives you your dreams? It’s cute.

While I wasn't quite as captivated by this installment in the series as with, say, the Fairy Godmother one, it was still a sweet, fun read that children will like. I noted that the print was all capital letters, too, which seemed to make it easier to read, go figure, which I think would be a plus for children reading the book on their own. The illustrations are colorful and detailed enough to hold a child's attention as they look to see what little goodies their eyes can spy on the pages will not weighting them down. In other words, like the Sandman, they were light enough to fly. Light enough to weave dreams. I particularly liked that the author, well, Sandman says that if you open your mind, there are many, many different dreams to choose from. I liked the imagined choices.

My only real disappointment was in not seeing more of the whimsy of the traps children might come up with to trap the Sandman. While they are noted, included childlike renderings of plans, for me they lacked the action/humor of the other books I've read in the series. That said, it's still a fun read and given the lovely, drifting clouds and stars, not to mention the shiny, bouncing and, oh, so magical dream-sand, it's a fun read and I'm betting it'll be a nighttime favorite of many children. Thanks #NetGalley and #SourcebooksKids - #wonderland for this early peek and inspiration for a lovely dream-filled night.

I thought that this was a really cute and unique bedtime story! However, I feel like the title doesn't totally fit, and I felt like the illustrations were a tad repetitive.
The story was great! It was perfect for a bedtime story since it is about the sandman giving sweet dreams to sleeping children. Additionally, I appreciated how the author decided to make the Sandman a cuter and very friendly character, rather than he is sometimes portrayed other times (scary and sinister). The last thing that was great about the story itself was the sense of wonder that was present throughout the whole book. For example, the Sandman gives you sweet dreams but if you're not asleep he can't do his job. It gives kids the same excitement and belief in magic as the idea of the Tooth Fairy does. This is good!
Now, I don't think the title worked as good as it could have with the story. I didn't see very much in the story about catching the Sandman, just a few pages. If the title stays the same, then the story should be more about capturing and setting traps for the Sandman. If the story remains, then the title should make it clearer exactly what the story is about, while leaving some mystery.
Lastly, I felt that the illustrations in the middle of the book were repetitive. Almost every drawing in this section of the book was that of a child sleeping while the Sandman sprinkles magic sand everywhere. This was executed well and looked very cute and pretty, but it limits the engagement of the story, and this story definitely does have the potential to be more engaging with a few edits and some more variety.
Overall, a unique and adorable bedtime story!

Another great addition to this book series. As always the story is cute and full of fun. The illustrations are amazing and cool to look at

I received an electronic ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Kids through NetGalley.
Delightful bedtime story that introduces young readers to the "How to Catch..." series. The Sandman shares about himself and all the wonders that can happen in dreams as children sleep. The language offers a soothing rhythm full of joy and fun. Readers will appreciate the brightly colored illustrations and discover more details each time they read the book. A definite family read.

My First How To Catch The Sandman
by: Alice Walstead
Pictures by Joel and Ashley Selby
due 9-2024
Sourcebooks/Wonderland Board Books
5.0

A board book that is deligthful, and an original look at how you can catch the sandman, that will inspire sweet dreams and a peaceful rest. The muted colors are relaxing and work well with the graphics. Simply, beautifully done.

Tha ks to Net Galley fro sending this ARC e-book for review.
#NetGalley #MyFirstHowToCatchASandman