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Frightening the Children? Worrisome Picture Books

I love reading with kids. And I especially love reading with my own kids. I admit I am guilty of reading Gordon Korman to my five year old.  There are just so many good books I want to share!

I’m not up to sharing EVERY book with them– at the ages of 5 and 7, I don’t think they’re quite ready for Goosebumps— but you’d be surprised  at some of what they gobble up. Well, maybe you wouldn’t be surprised. There are, as I said, so many good books, so many home runs! You might be surprised to find what children’s books some people think are too scary for kids to read, though (and also, what books some people consider to be children’s books. This article actually identifies The Call of the Wild as a children’s book). In this article, Jennifer Lewis chose nine books she considered to be “unintentionally terrifying.”  I can see only one, Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever, that I personally see as falling into that category. I’m not a child, though. While I haven’t read the book to my own children, they’ve had it read to them, and it hasn’t yet made them run screaming from the room. The Runaway Mummy by Michael Rex had the same creep factor for me, and I truly thought it would scare the heck out of my son, but he actually wanted to act it out with me!

The first book Lewis picked as “unintentionally terrifying”  was No, David! by David Shannon. Perhaps it’s hard to understand the charm of this book until you’ve seen the enthusiastic reaction of a classroom of energetic two and three year old boys. My son and his preschool class (almost all boys) knew this book by heart. Every single one of them completely related to David. Our copy is nearly worn out. The illustrations are similar to the ones David Shannon found in a book he had written and illustrated at nearly the same age, with the word NO on every page. Terrifying to parents, maybe… David is constantly getting into things he isn’t supposed to be getting in to… but scary to kids? Not at all.

Moving on, it’s hard to imagine how, with an entire world of children’s books to choose from, she picked Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! This is a favorite that never goes out of style. Preschoolers and kindergartners just learning the alphabet get into the jazzy rhythm and colorful illustrations, and even second and third graders aren’t “too cool”  to hear it and chant out the words– which by then, they know by heart. Alphabet mix-ups, drama, and trauma, are more funny than frightening– check out A is for Salad and AlphaOops! The Day Z Went First to see what I mean.

I have always loved Tomie de Paola. It’s true his books can evoke intense emotions– Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs brought me to tears, and The Clown of God is unforgettable. But it was Strega Nona that I chose as my birthday book for the school library when I was in third grade, not because it scared me, but because it’s funny and gentle in its telling, and it has a certain justice (something children appreciate). I suppose the endless pot of spaghetti might be disturbing if you’re trying to control your carbs, but the story of the apprentice who gets the food going and can’t stop it isn’t a new one– a recent version called The Golem’s Latkes (I bet you can guess what kind of food overflowed into the street in that book) recently made its way into my house. But the illustrations, and the way it’s told, make it a classic– and not one to be feared.

If these books are bothering you as an adult, it’s because you are looking at them as an adult. Children aren’t deconstructing these books. They’re getting a kick out of them. You do not have to wrap children  in cotton just because, in a book, the letters of the alphabet fell out of a tree and one of them skinned its knee.

So then we come to books that fit in a category that doesn’t quite meet the criterion that Lewis set of “unintentionally terrifying” books. Because these books are really intended to frighten and challenge children. She mentions Maurice Sendak’s Bumble-Ardy, for instance. This is the author of Outside Over There, in which a little girl’s baby sister is stolen away by goblins. While he’s no longer with us, he was no stranger to illustrating our fears. The surreal black and white illustrations of Chris Van Allsburg are magical, but not often comfortable. Jumanji is meant to unsettle readers, not reassure them. Neil Gaiman’s (and Dave McKean’s) The Wolves in the Walls is definitely intended to be a scary story. Children in these stories rise to the challenge set before them, but the journey can be a scary one.  These books are beloved by many children (particularly Jumanji and The Wolves in the Walls) although they definitely aren’t every child’s cup of tea. Knowing your kids is the best way to choose what will work for them, since even kids who are the same age can vary widely in reading interests and maturity. Naturally, use your best judgment. But I hope you won’t let your worries about what they can handle stop you from sharing great books with your kids.

All Hallow’s Read: Give a Book This Halloween

All Hallow’s Read is a “new” Halloween tradition established by author Neil Gaiman, who suggested on Twitter a few years ago that we all give someone we love a great scary read on October 31st. After all, why should gifts wait for birthdays or Christmas? I love this idea.

  I’m not the only one, by far. But in particular, a number of authors have decided that All Hallow’s         Read is a great opportunity to not only give the gift of fear to the ones you love, but also to share it with other people who might not be so lucky. Ten authors have banded together for a blog tour– Fiction Frolic for All Hallow’s Read— to encourage people to donate books to the nonprofit literacy organization Books for America, based in Washington, D.C., between now and October 19.  Donating books will enter you in a giveaway, but who needs a reason to share their love of reading?  Here are the details about the giveaway and about donating books, sent to me by the authors participating in the Fiction Frolic. I hope you’ll decide to donate!

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Help Raise 1,000 books for charity and enter to win $200, signed books and swag!

We are excited to share about an ambitious blog tour—Fiction Frolic for All Hallow’s Read—where ten authors from several genres are working hard to raise 1,000 books in three weeks for Books for America.

From October 1st to 19th, donate a new book (or books!) and earn extra bonus points in a huge giveaway that these authors are hosting.

Two winners will each receive the following PRIZES!          a Rafflecopter giveaway

$100 Amazon G.C.
5 signed books from the authors hosting the event
A swag bag
Plus—in honor of All Hallow’s read, gift a signed copy of one of our books to a friend!

With a total of $200, 12 signed books (including the gifted books) and major swag, what better way is there to raise books for charity and celebrate All Hallow’s Read?

Each author participating is also donating signed copies of their books to Books for America, an awesome charity that is officially sponsoring their event and excited to be involved with All Hallow’s Read. In 2011, Books for America donated more than $800,000 worth of books and materials to DC area schools, shelters and dozens of other educational programs and organizations.

The authors are blogging throughout the event at The Fiction Frolic Blog.
• 10/1-5 Read about how books shaped their love for reading and writing.
• 10/8-12 Read their scariest, funniest or craziest Halloween experiences, or learn about their favorite Halloween themed book or movie, or favorite work of “dark” literature.
• 10/15-19 Enjoy some flash fiction, short stories and novel excerpts.

So donate, share, and look for daily ways to enter to win. Donate to charity for bonus points!.

This event is sponsored by:
Eleanor T Beaty, author of the YA paranormal Veiled Mist
Brewin’ author of the supernatural horror, The Dark Horde
Andy Gavin, author of the fantasy horror, The Darkening Dream
Laxmi Hariharan, author of the YA fantasy, The Destiny of Shaitan
Kimberly Kinrade, author of the YA paranormal thriller/romances, Forbidden Mind & Forbidden Fire
Richard Long, author of the supernatural thriller/horror, The Book of Paul
M.C. Mars, author of the mind-bending novel, Burner
Melissa McPhail, author of epic fantasy Cephrael’s Hand
Sheryl Steines, author of She Wulf & Days of First Sun
Pavarti K Tyler., author of the Lit Fic Shadow on the Wall and the erotic horror Consumed by Love

Merry Christmas!

Well, the holiday’s here, and while I love Christmas, I am officially creeped out. During Christmas Eve gift giving Grandma presented my 4 year old daughter with a Lalaloopsy doll.  These have been one of the “hot toys” this year but since my children asked Santa for a plush yeti and a mermaid playset I hadn’t looked into getting either of them a doll. You don’t find those in the toy aisle at Target or Meijer.

So I had never seen a Lalaloopsy doll.

They are supposed to look like rag dolls, except they’re hard plastic. Their story is that they take on the personality of whatever it is they’re made out of once the last stitch is done. This one is a spelling doll, and that’s kind of cool. Way better than the infamous “Math Is Hard” Barbie, for sure.  I want to like it.

But it has buttons for eyes. And every time I look at it I think Coraline and I get creeped out.

“The button eyes creep me out” is not really a reason I can give Grandma for asking her to return Lalaloopsy here (in a painful play on words her name is Bea, as in Spelling Bea). It can take the abuse my 4 year old can dish out (which is considerable) it looks like a doll instead of a miniskirted beauty queen, and is even supposed to be a “smart” doll. But the eyes are so disturbing.

Don’t let anyone tell you genre fiction is forgettable.  I will now be thinking about Coraline and button eyes as long as this doll sticks around.  Did I mention it appears to be indestructible?

Thanks a bunch, Neil Gaiman, for making this Christmas special.

And a Merry Christmas to you all.