Welcome to day 35 of 40 craft lessons.
Fear is the most common feeling among young readers: fear of darkness, being alone, new places, etc.
Spooky picture books, with their playful unease and slightly eerie atmosphere, give young readers a safe way to explore a feeling that scares them. It’s like an experiment in a controlled environment. They offer mini thrills, but not the kind of tension found in adult thrillers, so they cannot be categorized as thrillers. Fear is softened through humor or exaggeration.
Creepy Carrots (2012, Aaron Reynolds, Peter Brown) is a notable example. Jasper Rabbit becomes convinced that the carrots from Mr. Crump’s farm are following him everywhere. The illustrations create suspense with shadows and dramatic angles, while Jasper’s exaggerated reactions add humor. The story is slightly eerie, but never truly scary.
The challenge is finding the right balance: be eerie, but not overwhelming, and suggest to the reader a way to deal with the fear. In Creepy Carrots, fear dominates Jasper at first, but he eventually takes control and overcomes it. This gives young readers a sense of agency—they experience the thrill, but also see that fear can be managed.
Hope reading this blog post has given you new ideas. See you tomorrow for Day 36.
