Customer Reviews

Some Things Are Scary

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Do you remember what it was like to be hugged by someone you didn't like or thinking you weren't going to be picked by either side for a game on the playground? What about holding on to someone's hand that isn't your mother's when you thought it was or having people looking at you and laughing and not knowing why? Fortunately for us, Florence Parry Heide does. This collection of childhood fears really captures the essence of the young mind in a clever, funny and light hearted way so that kids will be reassured that they're not alone out there in the world (the SCARIEST thought of all). Jules Feiffer's humorous, imaginative, expressive artwork adds just the right touch to the text and together they let all kids know that everybody's afraid of something sometimes and it's okay. This masterpiece is perfect for those as young as 4 or 5 and will have even more meaning to 8-10 year olds. So think back and remember what it felt like to watch in the mirror while getting a bad haircut and smile...

Aaagh, this is not a new book. I read this when I was 6 years old! It was one of my absolute favorites. I've been keeping an eye out for it for my children. One "scary" thing that I remember most from this book is holding an adult's hand on the escalator, only to realize it is a stranger. That illustration has set in my mind for 30 years. What is especially funny, now, is that little children do that. They will hold my hand or grab my shirt, thinking I am their parent, only to look up at me with terror when they realize I'm the wrong "mommy". Gotta get it for yourself as well as the children.

This book is an excellent book for parents and or teachers to read to students before discussing dealing with the fears and the types of things that scare them. It is a book that reassures children that these types of things scare other people too. It would be an excellent book for parents to read to start a conversation to find out what scares their children. For teachers it could be a great book to read to have children write a class book on their own fears or as an example for writing about any emotion.

Why is this book out of print? I found two copies at a book sale and it is a fantastic book for kids! Not only is it hilarious, but it's a great conversation-starter about what scares us and how lots of times the things that scare us aren't really scary at all. What's the most scary is that this book is out-of-print. Please bring it back!

All kinds of scariness - some make you silly with relief & some will linger through your life like that scar on your chin when you fell down that day.

Seeing your parents angry, being scolded can be scary! People laughing at you & you don't know why - ah, I've known that one!

A good book to raise the subject of scary things, probably not one to read just before bed, however! Perhaps after a particularly trying day at school. Or just before Halloween! Or when something scary happens in your family's life.

I bought this book for my son to memorize for an Oral Language festival his school was having. When he gave his oral report on this book he understood better about the fears he has. This book goes through most of the fears children have, that we adults have forgotten about. Not only did we laugh about the fears, we were reminded of how we felt being a child and "being hugged by someone we didn't like." It's a wonderful book for children to read and learn that their fears are not ridiculous, and not uncommon. This book is funny and comforting to children and adults alike.

This book has fun illustrations and clever text that can be a light read while addressing that some things are scary. My kids enjoy the book very much.

Florence Parry Heide is one of the great children's authors. And teamed with Jules Feiffer, she's even better. This book is heartwarming and funny at once, and full of familiar surprises. For adults, it will bring back childhood memories of scary moments that are now just tender memories. Children will relate to their current childhood fears and will learn something in the process. For all, it's a sharing in the human condition of being a kid and the explorations of a kid's new world.

I purchased this book after seeing the 5-star reviews. I was so disappointed after reading it that I checked the reviews again to make sure I'd purchased the correct book. I shared it with ten of our holiday party guests to invite their feedback before giving it to my children in case I was somehow missing something indeed worthy of praise. All agreed that this was a disturbing book for children that serves more to add to their existing ideas of what's scary, has no advice on dealing with these fears and offers nothing to promote their self-confidence. After reading the book without realizing any of us were discussing it, my teen nephew even commented "wow, this is downer." It's being returned. There are far better books to purchase.