There's a Nightmare in My Closet

This was one of my favorite Mercer Mayer books when I taught school, so I enjoyed rereading it today. The little boy's bravery (and costume!) in conquering the nightmare in his closet is very cute, and the illustrations are charming. ( )

This book is about a little boy who is determined to conquer his fear of the nightmare that is in his closet. On one brave night, he confronts the monster. The monster begins to cry when he threatens to shoot him with his toy gun. The child confronts him by letting him sleep in his bed with him. I think this book teaches a valuable lesson of how we shouldn't judge people or monsters on our first impressions, just like we shouldn't judge a book on its cover. ( )

Summary: A young boy tells the story of how a nightmare used to be in his closet and would always come out and frighten him. Having had enough, one night he waits for and confronts his nightmare and demands for it to leave. Unexpectedly, the nightmare begins to break down and cry like a scared child, causing the boy to have a change of heart. He invites his nightmare to share his bed with him. In the end, the boy realizes that there may be another nightmare, an even bigger one, still in the closet, but he is no longer afraid and simply claims that his bed doesn't have enough room for three.

Personal Reaction: I've loved this book ever since I was a little kid. My mom used to read it to me before bed when I was scared of monsters in my closet. When seeing the pictures of a monster acting like a baby, I learned that I had no reason to be afraid. The story and the pictures are both great.

Classroom Extension Ideas: This is a great book to teach children that everything is not always what it appears to be. Just because something is scary, doesn't mean it tries to be scary.

1. Have students draw pictures of what they think the monsters or nightmares in their closets or under their beds look like.

2. Have a day where students make masks of what their mosnters or nightmares look like and let them be the monsters. ( )

A classic tale of a child confronting his fears and finding out that the thing (the monster in his closet) that he's most afraid of is more afraid of him than he is of it. Sweet and positive message, overall. However, a few things that may be of concern to parents, caregivers, and/or others who read to/with children: some children still find the book frightening despite the message and general cuddly personality of the monsters and there is also an instance in which the boy protagonist uses a gun (albeit a toy one).

little boy has to face the not so scary monster that lives in his closet. he is able to overcome his fears and fix the issues he faces.