Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme that was formerly created at The Broke and the Bookish but has now moved to That Artsy Reader Girl.
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This week's top 10 Tuesday topic is a Halloween Freebie and I decided to do a top 10 list on Top 10 Uniquely Scary Children's Books!
They had been warned of the dangers that lurked outside of their packages, but they didn't care. These three snacks were on a mission to have some fun, and no Monster Kids could stop them. The world of the kitchen belonged to Cookie, Pretzel, and Cheese Doodle--or so they thought.
But when the three treats find a chilling note from Mom, they know it's time to come up with a plan to save themselves from the horrifying threat of the Kid. What should a smart Cookie and her friends do?
Premise: It's about living snacks trying to escape being eaten by a kid (or a "Monster Kid" as they describe them). That's a pretty creepy concept from a food item's perspective.
Creepiness: The scary imagery in this book is definitely something you wouldn't expect in a children's book and the images of the "Monster Kid" were pretty terrifying!
2. In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz
Creak...
Crash...
BOO!
Shivering skeletons, ghostly pirates, chattering corpses, and haunted graveyards...all to chill your bones! Share these seven spine-tingling stories in a dark, dark room.
Premise: This is a collection of scary stories that are meant to send shivers to young children and there were a couple of stories in this collection that were very unique in their premises (the most notable one being "The Green Ribbon"
Creepiness: There were quite a lot of scary stories in this collection, but the one that stood out the most to me was "The Green Ribbon." Anyone who has heard about "The Green Ribbon" know about how the story is about a woman who mysteriously wears a green ribbon around her neck and... well, you know what happens next...
3. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Series by Alvin Schwartz
All of the Scary Stories books are now available in one hardcover!
These stories are some of the most terrifying tales of horror, revenge, and supernatural events of all time, collected and retold by Alvin Schwartz and featuring the classic artwork by Stephen Gammell.
This jacketed hardcover edition includes the complete original books in the series in one volume:
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones
Premise: Just like "In a Dark, Dark Room" (which is also written by Alvin Schwartz), this collection of scary stories contain lots of unique stories like "The Red Spot," "Sam's New Pet" and "The Bride" that will send chills down your spine!
Creepiness: There are a lot of creepy stories in this series, especially "The Red Spot" and "The Bride." But probably the biggest standout in terms of pure creepiness with this series is Stephen Gammell's illustrations. My goodness, the illustrations are BEYOND SCARY and I think they fit so perfectly with the creepy nature of the stories!
4. The Tailypo: A Ghost Story by Joanna Galdone
"Who's that?" the old man asked.
He lay still and listened, and after a
while he heard a low, eerie voice say:
Tailypo, tailypo,
I'm coming to get my tailypo!"
Premise: Based off an old ghost story, this story is about how an old man ended up eating the tail of the feared Tailypo and because of that, the Tailypo ended up going to the man's house to get its tail back. Now that's a pretty creepy premise on its own!
Creepiness: The fact that a monstrous being known as the Tailypo is coming after a man due to the man eating its tail is a pretty terrifying situation and the book does a pretty good job at building the tension throughout the story.
5. Cinderella Skeleton by Robert D. San Souci
This ghoulish gal will steal your heart--just like she stole Prince Charnel's!
Poor Cinderella Skeleton! Her evil stepsisters treat her with scorn and work her from dawn till dusk. But when Prince Charnel hosts his famous Halloween Ball, Cindy finally gets her chance to shine. With the help of a good witch, Cinderella Skeleton is transformed into the belle of the ball and steals the
prince's heart. Then just as the sun peeks over the horizon, she must dash away! Will Prince Charnel ever find his true love again?
Premise: The fact that the premise of this story is basically what would happen if you made a scary version of the classic fairy tale "Cinderella" and have Cinderella become a skeleton was a very unique take on the "Cinderella" story and it's all the more entertaining because of it!
Creepiness: The scariest aspect of this book was David Catrow's artwork as all of the characters look terrifying (since most of the characters in this book are skeletons) and I will admit that I get chills looking at these images!
6. Monster Mama by Liz Rosenberg
Despite the fact that his mother is a monster, Patrick Edward adores her, until, one day, when Patrick Edward is attacked by three bullies, he discovers that he might be more like his mother than he had thought.
Premise: The fact that this book is about a young boy who has a mother who is a literal monster, is a very interesting take on having monsters for parents and I love the fact that the young boy still loves his mother, no matter what.
Creepiness: The scariest aspect of this book was definitely Stephen Gammell's artwork. Once again, Stephen Gammell has shown that he can create some pretty terrifying artwork for children's books and this book was definitely no exception, especially with the image of Monster Mama herself!
7. The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey
The Gashlycrumb Tinies: or, After the Outing is an abecedarian book written by Edward Gorey that was first published in 1963. Gorey tells the tale of 26 children (each representing a letter of the alphabet) and their untimely deaths in rhyming dactylic couplets, accompanied by the author's distinctive black and white illustrations. It is one of Edward Gorey's best-known books, and is the most notorious amongst his roughly half-dozen mock alphabets.[2] It has been described as a "sarcastic rebellion against a view of childhood that is sunny, idyllic, and instructive". The morbid humor of the book comes in part from the mundane ways in which children die, such as falling down the stairs or choking on a peach. Far from illustrating the dramatic and fantastical childhood nightmares, these scenarios instead poke fun at the banal paranoias that come as a part of parenting.
Premise: The fact that this book is about how 26 children died in some pretty gruesome ways (all told in alphabetical order) is a pretty twisted yet intriguing take on learning about the alphabet!
Creepiness: The fact that the kids in this book had died in some pretty gruesome ways, like "Rhoda being consumed by fire" and "Yorick whose head was knocked in" was surprisingly shocking and twisted for a kid's book and it's something that stayed with me for years.
8. The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt
"'Will you walk into my parlor,' said the Spider to the Fly..." is easily one of the most recognized and quoted first lines in all of English verse. But do you have any idea how the age-old tale of the Spider and the Fly ends? Join celebrated artist Tony DiTerlizzi as he -- drawing inspiration from one of his loves, the classic Hollywood horror movies of the 1920s and 1930s -- shines a cinematic spotlight on Mary Howitt's warning, written to her own children about those who use sweet words to hide their not-so-sweet intentions.
Premise: Well, this book is about how a Spider tries to entice a fly to walk inside his parlor and if you are familiar with what spiders actually eat in real life, then this gothic take on the relationship between a spider and a fly will chill you to the bone!
Creepiness: Not only are Tony DiTerlizzi's artwork terrifying to look at (especially since they are in black and white colors), but the story about the Spider trying to eat the Fly is a pretty terrifying concept that has an even more terrifying ending!
Award-winning poet Eve Merriam conjures up 26 titillating and teasing Halloween poems, one for each letter of the alphabet, accompanied by the delightfully wicked illustrations of Lane Smith. Elegant in design, precise in image . . . with appeal for any age that enjoys the macabre side of Halloween.--pointer, Kirkus.
Premise: Another creepy children's book that teaches kids about the alphabet, but in a horrifying way. There are mentions of demons, murder weapons and fiendish fiends scattered throughout this book that you will feel nothing but chills when reading this book!
Creepiness: Probably the scariest aspects of this book were Lane Smith's artwork and the mentions of demons and murder weapons. The fact that there was one poem in this book that mentioned about using an icicle as a murder weapon was definitely the edgiest thing that I have ever seen in a children's book!
10. Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi
Bella Legrossi is the messiest monster in all of Booville. Her slime is the slimiest and her grime is the grimiest. Alas, she is neighbors with Boris Kleanitoff, a persnickety ghoul so tidy he vacuums his vampire bats. What could ever bring these two together? Why, a hoppin' Halloween party, of course!
Premise: The fact that this book is basically what would happen if you made a creepy version of "The Odd Couple" was a very interesting concept, especially with Bella being the messy one and Boris being the clean one!
Creepiness: Not the creepiest book out there, but there are some creepy imageries in this book by Gris Grimly, mainly the images of the various monsters that pop up in this book.
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