In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories

Folklorist and children's author Alvin Schwartz presents seven spooky selections in this early-reader collection. From the opening tale about The Teeth, in which a boy runs from a series of men, each with teeth longer than the last, to the closing children's song about The Ghost of John, the contents here is sure to give young beginning readers the shivers. In the Graveyard sees a fat woman speaking to three thin corpses in a graveyard, while The Green Ribbon follows the tale of a young girl who always wears a ribbon of green around her neck. The titular In a Dark, Dark Room uses repetition to build suspense, and scare the reader, while The Night it Rained and The Pirate both chronicle a ghostly encounter.

Although I have vivid memories show more of reading Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as a girl - a collection that was intended for older, middle-grade readers - I never happened to pick up In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories, which first saw print in 1984. I'm glad I've finally remedied that situation, as I think this collection makes an admirable spooky read for younger children who are just becoming independent readers. I appreciated the author's foreword, in which he talks about the appeal of being scared, and I also appreciated the afterword, in which he briefly discusses the folkloric sources for each selection. With the exception of The Teeth, which comes from Suriname, it would seem that these tales and songs are mostly British and/or Euro-American. The accompanying artwork by Dirk Zimmer accentuates the scares to be found in each tale, and ably complements the text. Recommended to beginning readers looking for ghost stories. show less

Maybe I'm biased because I grew up reading this story and have many memories to go with it, but this is one of my all time favorite books to read around Halloween time. The whole book is a compilation of short scary stories that have been told around the world, with Alvin Schwartz writing them with his own flare. I love the diversity of each story, some including repetition, others using rhyme/song, and each plot being based off an urban legend children use to scare one another.

The illustrations by Dirk Zimmer are legendary. Each page is full of dark colors and whimsical creatures that draw you in and can give you the creeps when the lights are out. When the unnerving plot is combined with the eerie pictures, it easily becomes a perfect show more story to read at night in a dark, dark room. The theme to not believe everything you hear, becomes evident through the characters cartoonish features; debunking the idea that the folklore is based off true stories. Would read again. And again. And again. show less

I listened to this on audiobook, and the narrator was lovely. Revisiting children's books as an adult for nostalgia, in particular various books Alvin Schwartz wrote. -This- book made me fall in love with horror as a child. -This- book has the wonderful story "Jenny's Ribbon," that I was so enchanted by and remain so. It's a marvelous retelling of Washington Irving's "The Adventure of the German Student" only--I treasure this one, but I liked the original a lot when I heard it as an adult. "Jenny's Ribbon" will likely always have a sense of fearful wonder for me. If I were introducing people to the story, for adults and children alike I would pick "Jenny's Ribbon" first and -then- say "It's a retelling of Washington Irving's story." I show more could go into experiences around this story I've had as a kid and teenager, but that would make me seem outrageously creepy, so I will not. They are positive and I hope I will always treasure them. I hope others will treasure the stories I did. show less

I missed reading this book when I was younger. It was published in 1984, and by then I was a young teen, and not interested in I Can Read books. I saw a clip on TikTok about this collection of stories recently and had to check it out. If only it had come out a few years earlier. My creepy little soul would have loved it.

I checked out the original 1984 edition from the library, though there is also an updated edition with new artwork. My favorite stories are: “The Teeth” (mainly for the creepy artwork); “The Green Ribbon” (ominous and scary); and “The Night It Rained” (sad, unsettling, spooky). “The Pirate” was pretty good too. The other three stories were fine, but could have used a little something more. All of them had show more great pictures. show less

Summary:
This is a collection of scary stories to scare your friends with. They are meant to be told slowly, with a soft voice, in a dark room.

Personal Reaction:
I thought the stories were more humorous than scary. That’s probably because I was alone, in a well lit room, reading them to myself. There was one story I remember telling when I was a child; of course it was scary to me then. I think children would enjoy the stories.

Classroom extension ideas:
I would have the students write their own scary story. I would turn off the lights, maybe make a faux fire, and we would sit around it and let them tell their stories.

You could also read this story around Halloween, and have the students make characters and scenes from the book to use as show more decorations in the classroom. show less

I loved these stories as a child, so when I found out they were published in early reader format, I bought the book. Many children like creepy stories and these tales do not disappoint, even thirty years after the original publication date. The book has seven stories, but although this may seem long for an early reader, a child doesn't have to complete the book in one sitting. The font is in a large format with short sentences featuring controlled vocabulary. Each story is slightly different, with some using rhyme and others standard prose. The pictures enhance the story but don't detract from the child's mission to read the words. I like that the scary appeal can help a child finish the story and find resolution.

Vi numa postagem aleatória no Facebook que os livros de Alvin Schwartz foram uma porta de entrada do horror para drogas mais pesadas de muita gente e seus livros são mesmo uma delicinha.