Perfect Picture Book Friday-I’m Not Afraid of This Haunted House

Posted on by Penny Parker Klostermann

Seems I’m going backward in time, since the last two weeks I reviewed Thanksgiving books and today I’m reviewing a Halloween book! This book wasn’t at the library when I wanted it, but now I have my hands on it just in time for Halloween.

I’m Not Afraid of This Haunted House

Written by Laurie Friedman

Illustrated by Teresa Murfin

Carolrhoda Books 2005

Ages 4-8

Themes: Halloween, Holidays, Fears

Synopsis: (from publisher’s website) It’s Halloween, and Simon Lester Henry Strauss and his friends make their way through a haunted house filled with creepy creatures. Although his friends are running scared at every turn, brave Simon Lester is not afraid of anything. He handles the Vampire’s Feast, a one-eyed monster, and the Treacherous Tower with tremendous bravado. That is, until he finds himself taken by surprise.

Opening:
I’m Simon Lester Henry Strauss
and I’m not afraid of this haunted house.
A fortune teller says, “Come inside.”
Her crystal ball says, “You can’t hide.”
My friends are scared of what they’ll see.
But I just tell them, “Follow me!
I’m Simon Lester Henry Strauss,
and I’m not afraid of this haunted house.”
I’m not afraid of the witch at the door.
I’m not afraid of the creaky old floor.
When a ghost swoops down and hollers, “BOO!”
I shout back, “I’m not scared of you!.”

Resources: This page (HERE) is full of craft ideas for making haunted houses. I have singled out a couple of links, but there are several more. The ads are annoying, but the seeing the ideas made it worth putting up with the ads.

HERE are instructions for a Haunted House Pop-up Cards.

HERE are instructions for a Paper Bag Haunted House.

This book would be a nice lead into discussing fears.

Why I Like This Book: Combine Halloween, humor, and rhyming text, and you  have me hooked. This illustrations are delightfully creepy and perfectly paired with the playful text and the repeated boast of Simon Lester Henry Strauss—“I’m Simon Lester Henry Strauss and I’m not afraid of this haunted house.” Throw in the fun surprise at the end and you have a book that begs to be read during the month of October…and, most likely, every other month of the year!

Susanna Leonard Hill features Perfect Picture Book Friday on her blog. This is a wonderful resource if you are wondering what books to give as gifts, needing material for a lesson, or just looking for a great book to read. Here is a list of books by category. Each book listed has a link to a review, information about that book, and resources for activities. There is also an alphabetical list.

31 thoughts on “Perfect Picture Book Friday-I’m Not Afraid of This Haunted House”

  1. This looks like a fun book! And yes, Penny and Cathy, you are both right- there are more rhyming books and they do have to see good rhyme. There was a brief trend back in the late 80’s, early 90’s when publishers were rejecting rhyming books-probably because they were inundated with bad stories written in bad rhyme (or even good stories- bad rhyme will not redeem a good story- and vice versa). But now, in this competitive field, authors are doing their homework and the caliber of rhyming books has improved. Rhyming books are so appealing to children and they help them to learn to read! Hooray for rhyming books!

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    1. Thanks for your comments Iza! That is what I had gotten from reading on the Internet and listening at the two conferences I have been able to attend. But it’s great to hear it from you-a successful rhyming author. And yes…Hooray for rhyming books!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Patricia! I agree that it would be great for the classroom. I think it would bring out creativity in students as they worked on Halloween art and crafts.

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    1. I did love the crafts. There were a lot out there, but this link had so many cute ones that I thought it was the best. Kids would have so much fun personalizing their haunted houses.

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  15. This looks like a fun one, Penny. I’m glad you finally got some Halloween books. 🙂 I love the opening lines.

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    1. Well, actually…I had to buy the ebook! And I learned that I’d MUCH rather spend my picture book money on the real thing! But it is a cute book so I’m glad I have a copy…even if it is the ebook.

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  16. What a fun Halloween book. Am I noticing a rhyming come back? There seems to be a lot of books in rhyme out now.

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