Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories

Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories by Max Brallier illustrated by Letizia Rubegni

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Genre: Fiction

Introduction and Justification:

            When reading horror, I am a chicken. I get scared easily and have lots of nightmares. When looking for a horror book I was apprehensive. I spent hours looking for a horror book that will not be too scary. Then I found one called Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories. This book is an Acorn book. Acorn books are designed for end of first grade and second grade students. Due to the age of the book it seemed like a safe horror book. This story tells scary stories in a child friendly method.

Evaluation of book:

The dark colors mixed with red help to establish the mood of the book. The front cover shows a box and a dead rat. There is also a note that accompanies it. Everything looks old tattered and worn. The use of muted tones sets a creepy tone. As the book goes you can see the old house, juxtaposed to a brighter colored building. The characters face are frightened. Their eyes are unusually large as they peer at the creepy house. As the siblings explore the house it looks broken down, everything appears damaged. Even the pictures are eschewed.

The author and illustrator are a team in this book. Together the pictures help to extend or develop the plot. Each picture gives depth to the words. The words are simple, yet the pictures help to tell the story. Each picture matches the words and adds details. As the children go up the stairs the illustrator shows a picture of the kids going up the stairs. There are even instances where the illustrations where the pictures say what the words do not say. When Oliver is in his room the picture of the toys marching in slowly is scary (Braillier, 2019, p. 44). Even the picture on the last page with the claw marks gives the reader freedom to use their imagination with the text and picture clues.

The last page of each story uses the illustrations to reinforce the text. As the kids go up and see the eyes. The doll is the picture you see with the line “it is just the three of us” (Braillier, 2019, p. 14). This tells the reader that the doll is talking. When the boy has the hair down the throat the doctor holds up the rat (Braillier, 2019, p. 22). The face of the statue and the blanket also help to show the story. The statue is scary. The text does not give the reader a clear mental image. When looking that book though it is clear to see his scary appearance and overwhelming size. The words themselves are simple. They do not invoke fear but paired with the pictures they become a scary combination.

Response:

            (e) This book is a good introduction to the horror genre. It is scary without being inappropriate for younger audiences. The text and illustrations mirror each other to make the reader think but it does not allow for the imagination of the reader to go too far. The author keeps the age range of the students in mind. (g) This book did give me some nightmares. It is not a book that I would normally read without encouragement. It is a great book. Students who want horror books with love it and their parents will be alright with the content. This is a book that would be shelved in the library and featured around Halloween. © This book did a great job of showing that horror could be written for young children. When students asked for scary books in the library it seemed like an impossible task to find them. This book is perfect. It also, encouraged me to think what other genres could be included in the library for elementary students that would be on their level yet not condescending.

Conclusion:

            Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories is a wonderful, spooky read. The illustrations and words pair perfectly. It is wonderful having a horror book written for young children. The illustrations set the mood, reinforce the plot, and develop the plot. Each story comes to life in this 54-page book. This book would be a good starting point when recommending horror books to those who are interested in them.

Works Cited

Braillier, M. (2019). Beneath the Bed and Other Scary Stories . New York: Scholastic .

Tunnell, M. O., Jacobs, J. S., Young, T. A., & Bryan, G. (n.d.). Children's Literature, Briefly. Pearson.

Williamson, O. M. (n.d.). How to Write a Reaction Paper or Reader Response. Retrieved from Reader Response: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310link/readerresponse.htm