Kingfisher Book of Scary Poems Book

In the desolate depths of a perilous place the bogeyman lurks, with a snarl on his face. Never dare, never dare to approach his dark lair for he's waiting . . . just waiting . . . to get you.

—Jack Prelutsky, excerpt from The Bogeyman

Offering a mix of contemporary and classic verse as well as traditional rhymes, the poets featured in this anthology include Carl Sandburg, Ted Hughes, Emily Bronte, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Stevie Smith, Walter de la Mare, and William Shakespeare. Ghosts, goblins, witches, bats, bogeymen, mysterious night noises, sprites, spirits, and more—they're all here in this anthology of terrifically terrifying poems. Wonderfully weird and eerie illustrations add to the haunted mood.

Valerie O. Patterson - Children's Literature

An excellent addition to a classroom or library poetry shelf, this collection of more than fifty scary poems will appeal to readers first for its haunting subject matter and then for its wonderful language. The anthology represents a broad range of poets, including William Shakespeare, Carl Sandburg, Theodore Roethke, Emily Dickinson, Christina Rossetti, Jack Prelutzky and Grace Nichols, among others. Anonymous classic poems, such as "There was an Old Woman," are included, as are poems from other times and cultures, such as one about Anancy the spider of African and Caribbean lore. From water sprites to witches, from owls to ghosts and haunted ships, and from "The Frozen Man" to "The Bogeyman," readers' imaginations will be sparked and their spines tingle. Originally published in hardcover as The Whispering Room in 1996, this paperback reprint contains vivid illustrations that make this book as intriguing to look at as to read aloud. 2003 (orig. 1996), Kingfisher/Houghton Mifflin Co, Ages 7 to 10.