Scared of the Dark

Thornton, C.L. (2016). Scared of the Dark. Self-Published.

Children's Rhyming Picture Book / Facing Fears

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars


 


Cover Blurb:  
Shadows dance on your wall
Curtains flap in the breeze
Floorboards squeak in the hall
The wind whips through the trees

The dark can be scary, especially when you don't know what you're afraid of. But you're not alone, most of us have felt scared at night and the dark's not actually so bad. Discover some of the reasons for our fear, meet friendly animals who play in the night and learn to think of the dark in a new way. Oh and just in case some monsters are real...you'll be reminded that you're braver than you may think!

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Hall Ways Review: 

In Scared of the Dark, author Caroline Thornton uses rhyming and a mishmash of interesting illustrations to help young readers who are afraid when nighttime comes.  The author starts by acknowledging and being empathetic to the fears the readers may have, and then she goes on to give some explanations and thinking strategies that can help assuage any scared feelings.  Additionally, there is a second-layer message that there are very real fears for some children, and that when those "monsters" make appearances, screaming and getting help from others are answers. 

The cover will definitely draw-in readers, but the images within the story are a completely different style from the cover -- and from each other.  Many of the illustrations are eerie and others are whimsical and interestingly enough, according to the author, all but one of them were taken and painstakingly modified from public domain images.  Thornton said she was intentional about choosing the base pictures so that they would have a “universal feel that is neither overly traditional nor contemporary.”  Thornton also said her childhood love of Peepo! (Janet and Allan Ahlberg) influenced her illustration choices. Though there's not a single cohesive style or theme for all the illustrations, they are interesting and will likely be closely studied by readers, keeping them engaged in the book.

The rhyming is well-done, with just a few lines per page to keep it manageable for newly independent readers. There are some pages where the cadence changes and it breaks the rhythm of the storytelling, so I would advise practicing before any read-alouds. The twenty plus pages had only two pieces of punctuation (one oddly placed), and this reader would have preferred to see the pages punctuated properly as a model to young readers.  

I would recommend this book for kindergarten to second or third grade children. Due to the subject matter, Scared of the Dark is best as a read-along or read-aloud so that an adult is there to for the sensitive reader. 

Thank you to the author for providing me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Caroline L. Thornton lives in Scotland. She loves animals, movies and all things vintage. She writes rhyming picture books and her first, Scared of the Dark was inspired by her own fear of the dark as a child. She wanted to write a book that she feels could have helped her and which may help others who feel scared in the night.  

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Under My Bed

Sterling, L. (2015). Under My Bed. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.

Children's / Picture Book / Teachable Moments / Kindness

I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Cover Blurb: What's "Under My Bed?" Find out in this poetic tale about kindness, responsibility, and an unexpected visitor in the night. A read-together story for the young and the young at heart.

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This is great story about a little boy who is at first afraid, but when he gets more information, he responds with kindness and problem-solving for a resolution. Exactly what kids need in this day when often knee jerk reactions are the norm -- and those don't always turn-out well.  Children will likely have questions about what exactly is under the bed, opening the opportunity for discussions and creative activities for them to give their own answers.

The illustrations, done by Sandra Samson, are colorful, adorable and fit well with the text. Kids will love the looking at the pictures and listening to the story being read; I'd recommend the read-along happen with an adult or experienced reader who will have a better feel for how to make the rhyming best work.  Otherwise, due to sporadic use of punctuation and pages heavy with text, young or newly independents are going to struggle to read the book  solo.  

Sterling uses primarily end rhyming to tell the story (and often near rhymes, not exact), but the result is not overly rhythmic or lyrical.  Additionally, the pages progressively get more and more text heavy with the next to last page being completely full of text. Again, for younger and newly independent readers, this may be a bit overwhelming.  Breaking-down the text and adding a few more of Samson's rich illustrations would easily remedy this problem, and adding punctuation  - at least with questions and quotations -- would take the book to the next level.  

As the book stands, I would recommend it primarily for pre-readers to look at the pictures and listen along as a strong reader tell the story.   Teachers and librarians might also use this book as a springboard for other activities.  

Thank you to the author for providing me two print copies (one for the school library) in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Laura Sterling is an only child who has worn out countless library cards.  She can often be found with her nose in a book instead of doing grown up stuff like cleaning dust bunnies from under her bed.  Laura regularly shares her love of books as a volunteer reader for local Grade 6 class. She is aunt to an assortment of dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, ponies, and even a llama, and acts as the pet-sitter when their humans travel.

Laura has a wandering spirit, a vivid imagination, and a love of storytelling.  She works for a non-profit NGO as an outreach support worker and event organizer. A champion of community building, Laura is also the 2009 YWCA Women of Distinction award winner in the Advocacy category.  CONNECT WITH LAURA STERLING: 

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Sandra Samson believes in living a creative life whether as a hairstylist behind a chair, or doodling, painting, scrapbooking, sewing, and more. She enjoys inventing, experimenting, taking risks, making mistakes, and having fun.  Most of her inspirations revolve around her two children -- who she thinks are her best works of art yet -- and her supportive husband, who never allows her to think that any job is too big for her to dare or tackle. 

Both the author and illustrator live in Edmonton, Alberta, in western Canada.