It’s about a man who was dared to stay the night in a haunted castle. The artwork will seem familiar to fans of Alvin Schwartz. You miss out on the full experience if you never hear the stories performed by someone your own age.Įsteban and the Ghost - Sibyl Hancock, illustrated by Dirk Zimmer (1983) As a kid, you get caught up in the illustrations because they’re so garish, so unlike anything you’ve ever seen. I’m glad I heard these stories from a friend (in a dark, dark closet) before reading them, or seeing Gammell’s unbelievable illustrations. The tales are short and memorable, and Schwartz gives tips on how the stories should be performed. Since Maria Leach’s The Thing at the Foot of the Bed, no other author had attempted to encourage storytelling in kids. Schwartz is known as a modern folklore populist for good reason. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (1981) I guess creepy babies in coffins is a harder sell in the 21st Century. My boys regularly borrow it from our local library, though the newest version is missing Gammell’s drawings. I remember it fondly in my elementary school library in the early ’90s. It is one of the Eerie Series - nonfiction books describing historical encounters with ghosts, monsters, and aliens. Ghosts - Seymour Simon, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (1976) “Precious Bodily Fluids” and “The Vrolak” are fun stories with fantastic illustrations. Most curiously, the introduction to this book was written by Robert Bloch (best known for writing Psycho) and it certainly feels like it could have been the inspiration for each of Alvin Schwartz’s introductions in the Scary Stories series. Monster Tales and its 1974 sequel Horror Tales read more like The Hardy Boys meet The Brothers Grimm. Monster Tales - edited by Roger Elwood, illustrated by Franz Altschuler (1973) It features many of the same urban legends he would go on to include in his books - specifically, a cemetery dare, ghostly hitchhikers, body parts falling down chimneys, departed souls seeking lost possessions, and even a killer in the back seat. This book was a touchstone for Alvin Schwartz in writing his Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series. The Thing at the Foot of the Bed and Other Scary Tales - Maria Leach, illustrated by Kurt Werth (1959)
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