Module 15: Scary Stories

Summary

In Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schawartz, we find several short stories, songs, and poems that are based on folklore. The stories are meant to be told out loud with an introduction that includes suggestions on how scary stories should be read to other people. The stories are organized into five sections based on the style of story they are. The first section entitled, "AHHHHHHHH!", is a section of stories that uses jump scares to scare your listeners. The second section called, "He heard footsteps coming up the cellar stairs," is a section that scares by way of playing with the mind's of the readers. The third section, "They eat your eyes, they eat your nose," is a collection of stories on scary monsters and creatures. The fourth section, "Other dangers," is a group of stories that are scary by the fact that there is something that is dangerous, but it doesn't seem like it. For example, a dress that has poison on it or a man hiding in your backseat of your car. The last section is entitled, "AHHHHHH!", just like the first section, and is also a collection of stories that uses jump scares. The book then ends with the sources of these stories. 

Reference

 Schwartz, A., & Gammell, S. (1981). New York, NY: Scholastic. 

Impressions

Looking at the stories themselves as an adult, I didn't find most of them to be scary. A few of them like "The Babysitter," I found to be scary. What really makes this book is the original illustrations. One can get a taste of the illustrations by looking at the art on the cover. This book has been consistently challenged throughout the years since its publication in 1981 and the art work does seem like it would give a child nightmares. The subject matter of the stories deals very casually with death, which may be shocking to some parents.

Professional Review

 Schwartz, A. (n.d.). SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK by Alvin Schwartz | Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved December 08, 2016, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/alvin-schwartz-8/scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark/ 

Library Uses

I would use this book in a scary story program in October. The program could be done in the dark with flashlights and the group could take turns reading the stories.

Module 14: Amazing Faces

Summary

The book Amazing Faces is a collection of poems selected by Lee Bennet Hopkins and illustrations by Chris Soentpiet. The theme of the the poems is the common human emotion that people feel regardless of ethnicity and cultural background with the purpose of finding the connection and commonality that bonds people together. The poem "Amazing Face" talks about the potential life a baby has growing up in the future. The poem "My Chinatown" is about the comfort a child feels with his mother. Other subjects of the poems include dreams, speaking two languages, being shy, brother-sister relationships, military service, storytelling and more. Each poem is accompanied by a large illustration.

Reference

• Hopkins, L. B., & Soentpiet, C. K. (2010). Amazing faces. New York: Lee & Low Books.

Impressions

My first impression of the book was of the detail in the faces in the illustrations. Each face has a great amount of detail in that you can see the ethnic features of each face yet they still expressed the same emotion. For example, take the cover art, which is also the art for the last poem in the book. This art evokes a sense of unity in diversity, a society that does not discriminate, but instead feels the common emotions that all human beings feel. As for the poems, they are also very impactful as well in that they help convey what is going on in the illustration. 

Professional Review

Children's Book Review: Amazing Faces by Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illus. by Chris Soentpiet, Lee & Low, $18.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-60060-334-1. Retrieved December 04, 2016, from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-60060-334-1 

Library Uses

One use for this book in the library would be to have it used in a poetry reading program, where it can be used for those participants who are too shy to read their own poetry.