A Very Hairy Scary Story [Hardcover]

Rick Walton (Author), David H. Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2004 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Sarah's walk home is perfectly safe, but you know how creepy things can look when it's getting dark. Shadows take on lives of their own, any noise can make you jump, and a perfectly normal yard can seem pretty scary indeed.

Witty verse propels Sarah from fright to fright while with each page turn, kids can see the harmless everyday objects that inspire her fear. Kids won't ever look at grills or skateboards the same way again!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–It's early evening in a quiet suburban neighborhood. After staying at a friend's house an hour longer than she was supposed to, young Sarah decides to walk home quickly and sneak into bed so that Dad does not find out. On the way, she encounters a huge multi-eyed spider, an enormous flying bat, an odoriferous skunk, a ferocious bear, a chest-beating ape, and a roaring lion. Frightened, she runs into the arms of her father, who has come to look for her, and apologizes for staying out so late. The rhyming text keeps the action moving quickly. Done in pen and ink and watercolor, the exaggerated and humorous illustrations will send tingles down readers' spines. Sarah's large round eyes and stiff body postures reveal her nervousness. Children who look closely at the shadow-filled pictures will see that the "hairy scary" beasts are actually everyday objects transformed by an overactive imagination. A fun-filled look at nighttime fears.–Linda Staskus, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH
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About the Author

Rick Walton became a children's writer because, after trying almost every other career in the book, he finally realized that writing for kids was one of the few things that he both enjoyed and was good at. Since that realization he has had over forty books published, with many more scheduled for publication over the next couple of years. His works include picture books, riddle books, activity books, a collection of poetry, and educational and game software. His books have been featured on the IRA Children's Choice list, on Reading rainbow, and on CBS This Morning.

Rick lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife, Ann, the brains of the household, who also writes for kids, programs computers, masters Rick's website, and does all the home repair that Rick never learned how to do. It was Ann, who grew up in a computer family and who has eight siblings and a father in the computer industry, who dragged Rick kicking and screaming into the computer age. Now Rick doesn't understand how anyone can survive without word-processing programs, e-mail, and their own website.

They have four children, all of whom are learning to love reading, writing, and computers.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (August 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399238581
• ISBN-13: 978-0399238581
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #798,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rhyming, suspense filled, and so much fun!, August 13, 2007

By 

Reading my way thru life "Sharing what I read" (VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Very Hairy Scary Story (Hardcover)

At first I was hesitant about reading this at bedtime because even though the verse is fun, some of the pictures (I thought) were a little scary. I was wrong! -Our 5 year old daughter got a kick out of this and asked me to READ IT AGAIN as soon as we finished. The first time through she covered her eyes when we'd turn the page to see what the 'very hairy scary' thing was going to be. The second time through she was reading along and laughing and couldn't wait to get to the scary parts.

The story is about a girl who has lost track of time and was supposed to be home an hour ago. She decides to walk home (in the dark) and sneak into her bed so that no one will notice that she wasn't there the whole time. Her walk from the friend's house to her home is where she encounters the very hairy scary things.

The illustrations really do fit the story perfectly.

Me and my daughter had a great time reading this. Daddy heard us reading and laughing and wanted to know what was so much fun.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Darling and scary fun!, February 2, 2006

By 

R. Saunders "night_spun" (Boise, ID USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Very Hairy Scary Story (Hardcover)

This book is one of my son's favorites! I love creepy, scary things too, so it's great fun for us both. The story unfolds in such a way that it is not too scary for young kids, but introduces them to the idea of the traditional "ghost story" that kids tell around a campfire. It's especially nice that all the scary things in the story are simply a product of the main character, Sarah's imagination. My five-year old son wants to read it over and over again, and never tires of it.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Hairy Scary Story, August 1, 2010

By 

Kelly S. Landry - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Very Hairy Scary Story (Hardcover)

My seven year old daughter loves this book. We had fun figuring out what things produced all of the shadows. We also discovered that the clock on the first page has all of the scary things from the story hidden on it. It's a fun book!