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Helping Kid's Master Their Fears with Scary Books

8/1/2014

16 Comments

 
Mira was fantastic enough to invite me to write an ongoing series of posts on the darker side of kidlit, as well as books for very young readers. As a father of a two year old boy, I have a lot of opinions on that genre that I’ll be hoisting on you soon. I thought I’d start with a post on scary books and how they can offer a sense of control to little ones. – Jorge Lacera

“Fear is a wonderful thing, in small doses.” - Neil Gaiman

Like a lot of children, I really loved scary books. Anything with a monster, alien or ghost, I would hunt down and devour. Unlike other kids, my love of those stories continues to drive and inspire me and my creative work to this day. I distinctly remember being freaked out in the car reading a book on the skunk ape and then staring out the car window, imagining him roaming the Florida streets. Other people may disagree, but I think reading scary stories at a young age helps kids cope with fear.
Kids understand horror and ghost stories better than adults. They have to. The whole world is larger, scarier, and meaner than they are. Pretty much anything is capable of smooshing them like bugs. Reading a scary or spooky story puts the power back in their hands. Literally. Too scared? Just close the book! Our television and film saturated society very often doesn’t give kids a chance to turn away. I think we can all relate to glancing at a screen and seeing a tv show, news story or movie clip that is frightening and devoid of context. The fleeting image is gone and you are left to deal with it on your own.
With a book you can reread that chilling passage, or stare at the scary picture. You get to process and actually sit with the fear. Until it goes away.

Humor helps.

It’s no coincidence that the best authors of scary or creepy stories are also funny as hell. Roald Dahl is the master of this, of course. His parallel adult short story career and experiences during WW2 give his work for children a real sense of danger, humor and wit.

Same with Edward Gorey, Charles Adams or Lemony Snicket. Scary and funny go well together, like peanut butter and chocolate or werewolves and vampires.

I also think there is a lack of really fun--scary or otherwise--creepy books for kids. Here are five random examples of old and new books I like:

Picture
Picture
1. Uncle Louie’s Fantastic Sea Voyage:

My two year old loves this book. Jan Loof's art is a cross between R. Crumb and Herge’. The main character even looks like a hipster Tintin!
2. Creepy Carrots!:

Peter Brown takes Aaron Reynold’s story and lavishes it with glorious black and white (and orange) imagery worthy of James Whale or Hitchcock himself.

Picture
Picture
Picture
3. The Wolves in the Walls:

Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean tell a tale that oozes with dead pan humor, atmosphere and doom.

4. The Gashlycrumb Tinies:

Edward Gorey’s classic abecedarian book about all the funny ways little kids can die.

5. Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich:

Adam Rex’s love letter to his favorite monsters. Rex’s detailed illustrations and hilarious rhyming poetry make this an Insta-Classic.
I hope you've enjoyed these and I look forward to sharing more with you on the 4th Friday of every month.~ Jorge Lacera
16 Comments
Ave Maria Cross
8/3/2014 08:12:06 am

Thanks for posting this oh so informative insight. I am in the midst of writing a Halloween play for young people -- this information is right on time!

Reply
Jackie link
8/3/2014 08:16:19 am

Thanks Jorge - I absolutely agree. Stories can help us deal with all sorts of emotions from the safety of our lounge-room. Pretending the world is all sunshine and lollipops can make for one heck of a shock for the unprepared. Read scary, be wary :-)

Reply
elizabeth B Martin link
8/3/2014 08:56:08 am

I'm so glad you are writing this blog. I agree that children like to be frightened as long as they can control it. Everything in America has become too PC. Children go from not being able to read Jack and the beanstalk in preschool to horrific video games etc not much later.
My favorites are Roald Dahl's Revolting rhymes Jack and the beanstalk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpAoCUN4toE
and Teeny-Tiny and the Witch-Woman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2Hq4AzOhds
So clever and terrific fun.

Reply
Gabi
8/3/2014 08:59:48 am

I have just retired and worked on and off(because of work) writing
and illustrating a children's picture book. The one I am working on has some scary parts in it so this was great I am going to research all the authors given above. THANKS! Gabi

Reply
Gaye Kick
8/3/2014 09:04:08 am

Thank you Jorge and Welcome!

Reply
Debbie Taylor link
8/3/2014 09:43:41 am

Welcome, Jorge. I look forward to reading the books you suggested.

Reply
Vivian Kirkfield link
8/3/2014 01:14:04 pm

Thanks so much, Jorge! You are so right - picture books are magical and sometimes it is the scary ones that can help a child overcome his fears. :) You've given some awesome examples here!

Reply
Stella Jane Stauffer
8/3/2014 01:37:02 pm

How many times did we jump out of a dark corner to scare of very best friend...and then laughed.
Remember sitting on the floor in a circle in a darkened room...with a flashlight under our chin as it glowed up into our nose and we told scary stories? And at the same time our parents were very careful about what spooky movies we could and could not watch. "Big people" never got it...we wanted scary and funny!
Loved your post, Jorge. Looking forward to reading more of your thoughts on PB's, Jorge.
Thank you Mira for bringing together so much talent Wecome, Jorge.

Reply
Nona Senasac link
8/3/2014 02:31:41 pm

Stella jane you bring back some good memories and WE ALL SURVIVED! Thanks.
Thanks, too Jorge.

Reply
Monica Lauscher
8/4/2014 01:32:36 am

Halloween is a great example of how kids deal with fear. They scream in terror, then can't wait to do it all over again the following year. The more frightful the costume and decorations, the better.
So why shouldn't a reasonably scary (and funny) picture book find its place on a child's bookshelf?

Reply
Heather Gale
8/4/2014 01:34:00 am

Thanks Jorge, for not being 'afraid' to tell us scary books are fine too. It's often all in the presentation, isn't it!
As a kid, graveyard stories did it for me. (Didn't help we lived across the road from one)

Reply
Susan Corl link
8/4/2014 05:38:57 am

Thanks Jorge--great post and love the suggestions. I have loved Edward Gorey for many years--often people don't get his humor, though. Also, LOVE Neil Gaiman. I knew about the other books, but I haven't looked at them. I will now. : )

Reply
Laura Rackham
8/4/2014 10:07:12 pm

I use these books with my kids in counseling. It's such a "safe" way to help them address their fears. Great post!

Reply
Marta Magalhaes
8/13/2014 09:37:25 pm

Jorge,
A good idea for a blog, but fire whomever is writing your headlines. The basics of grammar should be considered in a writers' blog, and that apostrophe on a plural -- ouch!

Reply
Tracy Molitors
8/28/2014 05:43:00 am

Thank you, Jorge, for the advice and the great book selections!

Reply
clic aqui
8/30/2022 08:35:06 am

Una de las grandes ventajas de contar un libro digital es la nula posibilidad de dañarlo o estropearlo. Puedes leer cuánto quieras, todas las veces que consideres conveniente y el libro digital siempre permanece igual y su valor sigue siendo exactamente el mismo.
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