Some Things Are Scary

 Review

Common Sense Media says

A list of serious and silly things that are scary.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that wickedly funny art provides the punch line and keeps kids chortling. Some of the scary things might make some kids nervous.


What's the story?

Lots of things are scary to kids, from getting a shot to seeing strange-looking food on their plates. But growing up may be the scariest of all. Author Florence Parry Heide gives a list, some serious and some silly, of things that are scary, which cartoonist Jules Feiffer illustrates with wild exuberance.


Is it any good?

 

The text was first published in the late 1960s, when the world was presumably a less scary place, and "getting hugged by someone you don't like" had a very different connotation than it does now. But it has been newly illustrated by Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker cartoonist Jules Feiffer, and he brings the book to vibrant life, using the rather flat text as a foil for his wildly energetic drawings.

Feiffer's style consists of extremely fluid scribbles that combine in ways both warm and hilarious. He is a master of both facial expression and body language (even the shadows tell a story, as in the illustration for "thinking you're not going to be picked for either side"). His pictures, mostly with watercolor washes or white space instead of extraneous and distracting background detail, focus on the people and their clearly felt emotions.


Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

Families can talk about scary things. What frightens you? Kids could make their own book with silly illustrations of things they find scary.


This review was written by Matt Berman

There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title below.


This review was written by Matt Berman
Author:Florence Parry Heide
Illustrator:Jules Feiffer
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Humor
Publisher:Candlewick Press
Publication date:January 1, 2000
Number of pages:29
Hardcover price:$15.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):4 - 7

This review was written by Matt Berman
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.

Register now to save reviews and advice articles to your personal lists!


About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

 

vote now

Will you read Some Things Are Scary?


Already read it? What do you think?

 

Been There? Tell us about it