Note to readÂers: we are tryÂing a new forÂmat this month. We want to make our blog more conÂverÂsaÂtionÂal. Let us know what you think.
PhylÂlis Root:
What scares you? How do you deal with that fear? And why do so many of us like to scare ourÂselves silÂly, as long as we know that everyÂthing will be all right in the end?
An artiÂcle in The Atlantic, “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear,” explains how the horÂmone dopamine, released durÂing scary activÂiÂties makes some of us feel good, espeÂcialÂly if we feel safe. If we know those ghosts in the hauntÂed house aren’t realÂly ghosts, we can let ourÂselves be as scared as we want by their sudÂden appearance.
In Ramona the Brave Ramona hides a book with a scary gorilÂla picÂture under a couch cushÂion when the book becomes too terÂriÂfyÂing. She’s in charge of how scared she wants to be, and books offer us that opporÂtuÂniÂty: we can close them if they’re scary, or even look ahead to the end to be sure everyÂthing will be fine.
JacqueÂline BrigÂgs MarÂtin:
We can give ourÂselves litÂtle dosÂes of scare. DosÂes that feel like fun because we are watchÂing events hapÂpen to someÂone else.
PhylÂlis:
The LitÂtle Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of AnyÂthing by LinÂda Williams, illusÂtratÂed by Megan Lloyd, is a deliÂciousÂly scary expeÂriÂence. On her way home through the forÂest as it starts to get dark, the litÂtle old lady meets two big shoes that go CLOMP, CLOMP. Since she’s not afraid of anyÂthing, she conÂtinÂues toward home — but the shoes clomp behind her, as do, evenÂtuÂalÂly, a pair of pants that go WIGGLE, WIGGLE, a shirt that goes SHAKE, SHAKE, gloves that go CLAP, CLAP, and a hat that goes NOD, NOD. To all of them she says “Get out of my way!” because, of course, she’s not afraid of anyÂthing — although she does walk faster and faster. When she meets the scary pumpÂkin head that goes BOO, BOO! she runs for home and locks the door. Then comes the KNOCK, KNOCK on the door. Because she’s not afraid of anyÂthing she answers the door and sees the whole assemÂblage of clothÂing and pumpÂkin head. “You can’t scare me,” she says. “Then what’s to become of us?” the pumpÂkin asks. The litÂtle old lady’s idea for a soluÂtion makes everyÂone hapÂpy. Part of the genius of this book is that it invites lisÂtenÂers to join in on the sound effects, givÂing them an active part in the stoÂry as well as an outÂlet for buildÂing tension.
The narÂraÂtor in What Was I Scared Of?, writÂten and illusÂtratÂed by Dr. Seuss, only has to conÂfront a pair of empÂty pants (a fun twist on havÂing the pants scared off of one), and like the old lady, this narÂraÂtor claims he isn’t scared of anyÂthing. Still, when the pants move, he highÂtails it out of there, and each time the pants show up again, whether ridÂing a bike or rowÂing a boat, the narÂraÂtor runs from them. When he unexÂpectÂedÂly encounÂters the pants and hollers for help, the pants break down in tears; it turns out they are as scared of him as he is of them. The narÂraÂtor responds empaÂthetÂiÂcalÂly by putting his arm around the pants’ waist and calmÂing the “poor empÂty pants with nobody inside them.” NeiÂther is scared of the othÂer any longer.
JackÂie:
This book has always been a favorite at our house. Who would not be scared of such pants? And this list of frightÂened responsÂes is so incluÂsive — and so fun to read out loud:
I yelled for help. I screamed. I shrieked.
I howled. I yowled. I cried,
“Oh save me from these pale green pants
With nobody inside!”
Dr. Seuss’s lanÂguage in this stoÂry freÂquentÂly makes us laugh. One of my favorites:
And the next night, I was fishing
for Doubt-trout on Roover River
When those pants came rowÂing toward me!
Well, I startÂed in to shiver.
I’m not a fishÂing perÂson, but I might head out to Roover RivÂer for a couÂple of Doubt-trout.
AnothÂer stoÂry in which the fearÂsome is also fearÂful is There’s a NightÂmare in my ClosÂet. I can’t believe this MerÂcer MayÂer book is forty-sevÂen years old. It seems as curÂrent a childÂhood worÂry as stepÂping on a crack in the sideÂwalk. Mayer’s illusÂtraÂtions are perÂfect — we can almost hear the silence in the illusÂtraÂtion in which the kid tipÂtoes back to bed, after closÂing the closÂet door.
PhylÂlis:
FacÂing your fears and befriendÂing them runs through all of these stoÂries. VirÂginia Hamilton’s Wee WinÂnie Witch’s SkinÂny, an origÂiÂnal tale based on research into black folkÂlore and illusÂtratÂed by BarÂry Moser, involves actuÂalÂly out-witÂting a very scary being. With more text and a more stoÂry-telling tone, the tale relates how James Lee’s Uncle Big AnthoÂny is attacked by a cat who is realÂly Wee WinÂnie Witch in disÂguise and who rides him through the sky at night. As weeks pass, Uncle Big AnthoÂny “got lean and bent-over tired. He looked like some about gone, Uncle ShrunkÂen AnthoÂny.” Mama Granny comes to the resÂcue with her spice-hot pepÂper witch-be-gone.
When Wee WinÂnie Witch takes off her skin that night to ride Uncle Big AnthoÂny, she snatchÂes James Lee from his winÂdow and takes him ridÂing with them through the sky where he is both terÂriÂfied and thrilled. When Wee WinÂnie Witch returns to the ground and puts on her skin again, she finds that Mama Granny has treatÂed the skin’s inside with her spice-hot pepÂper witch-be-gone. The skin squeezes Wee WinÂnie Witch so hard that she shrivÂels into pieces on the floor. Uncle Big AnthoÂny gradÂuÂalÂly returns to his forÂmer self, and although James Lee nevÂer wants to see a “skinÂny” again, the thought of the night-air ride up in the twinÂkling stars still makes him say “Whew-wheee!”
JackÂie:
This tale is gripÂping — and for me, a bit disÂturbÂing, or maybe thought-proÂvokÂing. I was trouÂbled by the thought and image of the Wee WinÂnie Witch ridÂing Big Uncle AnthoÂny with the briÂdle in his mouth. But, as I thought about it, I wonÂdered if HamilÂton was posÂsiÂbly remindÂing us of the degraÂdaÂtion that slavÂery brought to black peoÂple. So many were briÂdled and lashed and worked to death. Hard to say. In any case this stoÂry has plenÂty of scare and a strong hero in Mama Granny.
PhylÂlis:
TerÂriÂfied, thrilled, and brought back to a sense of safeÂty again: these stoÂries do all that but with difÂferÂent levÂels of terÂror. And because picÂture books are usuÂalÂly read aloud by a comÂfortÂing adult and because we’re free to shut them and even put them under the couch cushÂion, we can choose how scared to be, knowÂing that we can safeÂly close the book. But like James Lee, we might also say “Whew-wheee!” — then open the book to read it again.
And what kinds of stoÂries do ghosts tell to scare themÂselves? Read The HauntÂed HamÂburgÂer by David LaRochelle and find out.
I rememÂber how all the boys in my eleÂmenÂtary school fought over the library’s ediÂtion of Alfred HitchÂcockÂ’s GhostÂly Gallery…but I was so frightÂened just by the covÂer that I nevÂer dared check it out (although I think I read one of the stoÂries sitÂting on the library floor). Being such a wimp, it’s a bit ironÂic that the first stoÂry I ever got paid monÂey for was a horÂror stoÂry I wrote when I was in high school. It’s a lot less scary writÂing about creepy things when you have conÂtrol than readÂing about them!
That makes me smile, that your first stoÂry was a horÂror stoÂry. PerÂhaps it’s someÂhow conÂnectÂed to your desire to write The HauntÂed Hamburger. 🙂
I rememÂber when I was a child, a teacher (the only one who I have memÂoÂries of readÂing aloud to the class as we sat on the carÂpet) read “The WonÂderÂful StoÂry of HenÂry SugÂar” by Roald Dahl. There was someÂthing about this stoÂry that absoluteÂly terÂriÂfied me. To this day, I have not gone and read the stoÂry myself to try and find out what it was that scared me so much. I keep thinkÂing about doing this, though. It might give me more insights into my childÂhood fears as I work on writÂing for chilÂdren today.
I wonÂder what you’d find, if you ever did go back to “The WonÂderÂful World of HenÂry Sugar.”
I don’t think I went near stoÂries that might scare me when I was a child. Life seemed scary enough.