The Too-Scary Story by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

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The Too-Scary Story by Bethanie Deeney Murguia (2017)

by AHK

When I used to ask my dad to tell me a story he'd say, "Once upon a time, the end." and then enjoy listening to us shriek at him to "tell it right." Papa in this story does a much more thorough job, though with a similar amount of editorializing from Walter and Grace. Grace wants a scary story, Walter not so much. Papa does a great job of introducing a scary element, which the illustrations echo with dark ominous colors, and then bringing back from scary into comforting--pleasing Walter and annoying Grace. This will be a delight to read in storytime--it reminds me of the fun of reading, "Snip Snap What's That" by Bergman, which hovers juuuust on the edge of too-scary.  For readers with a dramatic flair this is an excellent choice for storytime.

Themes/topics: night, scary, being scared, storytelling, bedtime, stories, owls

Sample text from two-and-a-half spreads:

Beyond the fireflies, deep in the bushes, crept all kinds of.../

CREATURES.  
"I can hear them all breathing." whispers Grace. 
"Too scary!" says Walter /

Don't worry. Those creatures were just settling into bed for the night.  
"Sleep tight." Walter whispers. 
 
 

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwal

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall (2017)

Ooh, I love this one and can't wait to use it in storytime. Jabari has graduated from swimming lessons, and is ready to conquer a jump off the diving board...probably. At the beginning of the day, he oozes confidence, but as he approaches the diving board, his confidence wavers and he employs some stalling techniques to hide his fear. But with patient support from his loving dad...Jabari jumps. Not too wordy for storytime, with large clear illustrations and a simply told but relatable narrative, this is storytime perfection. 

Themes/topics: bravery, swimming fathers, dads, being scared, jumping

Sample text from the wordiest spread:
Jabari watched the other kids climb the long ladder. They walked all the way out to the end of the board, as bit as tiny bugs. Then they stood on the edge. They spread their amrs and bent their knees and sprang up! up! up! And then they dove down, down down. 

Splash!

"Looks easy," Jabari said. But when his dad squeezed his hand, Jabari squeezed back.