12 Comments
Oct 8, 2023Liked by Taylor Sterling

I’m a year late but wanted to share two of my favorites from my childhood. Scary Stories by Tony Johnston and illustrated by Tomie dePaola, which are “scary stories” about a little boy told from the perspective of little monsters. The rolling moon melons is an image that sticks with me from my childhood (you can google to see!). It’s so delightful. And a little more spooky, Alfred Hitchcock’s Haunted Houseful, which is a collection of classic ghost stories with really creepy 3-color illustrations by Fred Banbery.

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I didn't discover the Witches until I was an adult, but it is an incredible read. And I was so pleased to discover the movie with Jim Henson creatures and directed by Nicolas Roeg. A bit scary for my 4yo and 7yo.

I would definitely add The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey. It's so gruesome, but kids love it. I cut out pictures of my kids and pasted them into the book...They thought it was hilarious to see themselves "dying" these horrible deaths.

Looking forward to checking out some of these others that my kids haven't read yet.

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author

Yes yes! The Gashlycrumb Tinies is a favorite in our house too. I wish I could have included it! Maybe next year ;)

Btw, thanks for the book! We’re loving it!

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Thanks, Taylor....Really appreciate your giving it a look. Will be curious to hear which ones are your favorites!

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Sep 30, 2022·edited Sep 30, 2022

Great list. When my son was younger, he absolutely loved “There’s Something in my Attic” and “There’s a Nightmare in my Closet” by Mercer Mayer. And I can’t forget “The Monster Under my Bed” by Suzanne Gruber.

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Sep 30, 2022Liked by Taylor Sterling

The absolute chokehold that the green ribbon had on me as a child !!!

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author

Like what you did there ;)

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These are great recommendations! The Three Robbers is perfect, as is Bony Legs (which was on repeat in my house when my youngest was 4yo — complete obsession).

I like how you always introduce me to titles I don’t know, which is a fairly rare thing. I appreciate this newsletter (and you).

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Oh, thank you so much!!

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I don’t have any suggestions for spooky picture books, but I loved RL Stine’s Goosebumps & Fear Street books when I was 8-10 years old. I was also a bit of a scaredy cat when it came to the dark, yet that didn’t stop me from reading them 😂 Coraline by Neilman has some creepy illustrations inside (and the animated movie was brilliant), so I’d recommend that one for October 🎃

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Yes, great picks!

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Neil Gaiman* sorry for the typo lol

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