Things That Go Bump in the Night
September 23, 2012 § 3 Comments
There’s no better time than the fall for reading spooky stories! Now, before you start worrying, let me preface by saying that my almost five year old is the ultimate Nervous Nelly; so, if he’s not scared by these stories (and actually demands to read them again and again), rest assured that your kids won’t be either. In fact, if you have a child that’s scared of the dark, even better: books like these can be an invaluable tool for empathizing with kids about their own nervousness (and helping them understand the role their imagination plays).
Without further ado, I give you my favorite new spooky story of the fall: Creepy Carrots! (Ages 4-7), by Aaron Reynolds, with illustrations by Peter Brown. I have loved everything Peter Brown has ever done, beginning with his first book, Flight of the Dodo, which is a quirky story about bird poop (remember: my son has a thing for poop books). What impresses me most about Brown is that none of his books feel derivative: for each story, he perfectly tailors his illustrative style to the topic at hand. In Creepy Carrots!, he sets his witty, cartoon-like drawings against a backdrop reminiscent of film noir, invoking a Hitchcockian play of black and white frames accented by splashes of orange.
The splashes of orange are, of course, carrots—namely, the carrots that a paranoid Jasper Rabbit believes are following him. Jasper has a “passion for carrots,” especially the fat, crispy carrots he pulls out of Crackenhopper Field; unfortunately, his also thinks he hears the “tunktunktunk” of them creeping up on him at all hours of the day and night.
What follows is a hilarious tale of Mistaken Identities. There are few things kids find funnier than a character misinterpreting something that they themselves can easily identify. “‘Mom! Mom!’ Jasper screamed. ‘Creepy carrots! In the shed!’ He opened the door slowly. There weren’t any carrots. Not even the regular kind.” (Instead, there are three orange-handled tools.) The Mistaken Identities snowball as the story progresses (orange flowers, orange soda cans, even orange curtains all look like creepy carrots to Jasper), until at last Jasper decides to stop the madness: he will construct the largest fence around Crackenhopper Field (complete with an alligator-filled moat) to ensure no carrot will ever stalk him again.
The mark of a superbly crafted spooky story is when the main character possesses the scrappy-ness to face his fear head on. Jasper empowers our little ones to call bluff on their own overactive imaginations, reassuring them that there’s no such thing as creepy carrots (oh, and if there were, there’s an easy solution for getting rid of them!). So, dim the lights, grab the flashlight, ready your deepest “tunktunktunk” voice, and give your kids some spookiness of the silliest sort.
“Jasper was about to help himself to a victory snack…when he heard it. The soft…sinister…tunktunktunk of carrots creeping.”
Other Favorite Spooky Read Alouds (great for reading around Halloween but not ONLY around Halloween!):
Ghosts in the House! by Kazuno Kohara (Ages 2-5)
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, by Linda Williams & Megan Llyod (Ages 3-6)
What Was I Scared Of? by Dr. Seuss (Ages 4-8)
What to Read to Your Kids 
Just read this one to the kids and they loved it! Fabulous illustration. Thanks for the recommendation!
Yay! I’m so glad you like it! 🙂
[…] his first foray into chapter books, Peter Brown (already beloved in our house for this, this, and this) perfectly captures this same befuddlement, anxiety, and marveling with which young eyes view the […]