Category: scary

fairy tales, illustration, scary, spotlight

Spotlight: Ten-Word Tiny Tales/The Princess and The (Greedy) Pea

Seth Harris

Ten-Word Tiny Tales: To Inspire and Unsettle (Candlewick Press)
Written by Joseph Coelho
Illustrated by 21 Artist Friends

As a child, I cultivated a love of writing that continues with me today. One of the things that sparked that initial hunger to write was being inspired by images I saw in books, film, and television. In Joseph Coelho’s book, he frames these fragmented story bits that imply a more prominent story despite being so simple. A different artist friend takes each fragment and provides their interpretation through an illustration. These illustrations are also evocative of stories that stretch beyond the boundaries of the page. 

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holiday, humor, illustration, scary

Book List: Nice Witches

Seth Harris

10 Busy Brooms (Doubleday Books for Young Readers)
Written by Carole Gerber
Illustrated by Michael Fleming

For ages: 3-7
There’s no shortage of counting books out there in every shape & style you can imagine. So it’s only fair the witches have one of their own. One witch gets added to the group at a time as they encounter spooky Halloween creatures. It’s not too scary for the kids, though, drawn in an adorable cartoonish style by Michael Fleming. There are skeletons, goblins, mummies, werewolves, and everyone you can imagine. It will not blow any reader’s mind. Yet, it is a thematically fun way to enjoy the Fall holiday and keep young children developing their numeracy.

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afro-caribbean, folktales, middle grade, scary

Middle Grade Must-Read: The Jumbies

Seth Harris

The Jumbies (Algonquin Young Readers)
Written by Tracey Baptiste

If you are like me, you might have never heard of a jumbie before. A jumbie is a mythological spirit or demon in the folklore of Caribbean countries like Trinidad & Tobago or Jamaica. They are the centerpiece of the first book in a middle-grade fantasy series that brings a unique mythos to young readers. Corrine Le Mer is an 11-year-old girl who lives with her widower father. She sells oranges in the market to make extra money and seems to have an almost supernatural green thumb. One day, a couple of troublemaking boys tie her late mother’s necklace to a wild animal. Corrine chases after it to retrieve the heirloom. A jumbie takes notice of her and follows the girl out of the jungle. Eventually, we learn the jumbie is directly related to Corrine, and the little girl’s mother never revealed something about herself while she lived.

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