Customer Reviews

What Was I Scared of?

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book What Was I Scared Of? tells the story of a young boy afraid of a pair of pants. The empty pants follow him around, but not because he wants to scare the boy, but because he is lonely and empty. When the narrator and the pair of pants are hiding from each other in the same bush, the boy realizes that he was just as strange to him as he was to the boy.

This is the best Seuss book of all because of they way it sneaks up on the reader (and listener). It was read to me many times 35+ years ago and I loved it then and I love it now after reading it for years to our children. I find it terrifically effective because it is creepy and scary when all you see is the pants with nobody in them, and then it turns out that everything can be scary until one knows what it is and looks at the situation from the other's point of view. The colors and classic illustrations set the spooky mood and then make one laugh and feel so silly!

Perhaps my top pick for the bedtime stories.
The eyes of a child grow large, their tiny heartbeats quicken and their grip tightens upon your person. Questions arise every other page from their interested brains as to "What do you think is gonna happen next?". Until the last few pages when all is revealed what's green and has been walking in the dark, the cutest of giggles begin.
Upon leaving the childs room, lights go out and the exchange of good nights are given; even thou it is but a humourous book, none-the-less do the tiny folk remind you to leave the closet light on when exiting the room.
I think those are the best critiques in the world.

A Suessage walk in the forest dark.

LadyGray
Author of the Yuletide Tale - White Holly

My three year old son and I recently got this book from the library. Needless to say, it is due now, so we need to buy our own copy! He loves it. We have read it every night for the past two weeks before nap AND bedtime! When we get to the page where the main character reaches into the Snide bush, and who do you think he feels? My son says, "THE PALE GWEEN PANTS!" The words just flow from your mouth and the story builds in anticipation. It has such a great lesson...indeed, "I was just as strange to them as they were strange to me." What a wonderful book, fun yet with a valuable sentiment!

This is a very funny Suess book that every age will find amusing. It also teaches a good lesson: You may be afraid of something or someone because it's different, but it feels the same way about you because it sees you as different! One of my favorite Dr. Suess books!

My 4-year-old son LOVES this book! We read it several times a day. He finds those empty pants to be quite hilarious! Thumbs up on this one--it is a big hit!

This book was always one of my favorites because me and my grandpa would read it together all the time and in the beginning I would always be scared but then at the end I would be laughing so hard!

Awesome book, my favorite of all of his books. It isn't super random like most of his books, follows one story all the way through, is a great overall lesson, just an awesome book to have!

My son received this book as a gift when he was born (11 years ago) and it has become our favorite Dr. Seuss book EVER. We have read them all, and they are all cute in their own way, but this one is different. My kids remember the words and recite them all the time, even if it's been a while since we read it. It has a great message too. It would be a perfect book to read to a child that may be getting ready to do something that they perceive as being scary or new. I would recommmend it (and do!) to every parent.

This is my family's favorite Dr. Seuss book! The children like the slightly creepy pictures and the silly place names like Grin-itch, Roover River or the field of Snide. It's just the right degree of scary for young kids, gives them a little thrill without giving them bad dreams. It is fun to read and I love that it sneakily implants in little minds the message that the basis of prejudice is fear. I especially love page 17, where the little yellow bear-like character is in the dark and gloomy snide field and comes face to face with the only thing in his life that has ever really frightened him, the pale green pants. If you look carefully at the snide bushes you will see a swastik symbol and the letters KKK. And isn't that exactly where prejudice is found, in the dark and fearful recesses of the human heart? "And there I was caught in the snide and in that dreadful place those spooky empty pants and I were standing face to face. I yelled for help, I screamed, I shriked, I howled, I yowled, I cried, 'oh save me from those pale green pants with nobody inside them.'" The ending is very sweet and always puts smiles of the faces of my children. You can't go wrong with this one!