Books with author Alvin Schwartz

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Set (Books 1, 2, and 3) Collected from Folklore and Retold by Alvin Schwartz Perfect for reading aloud, these thrilling and chilling collections bring readers one short, suspense-filled tale after another. These copies are Included in the lot: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Book 1) More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Book 2) Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones (Book 3)

Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark opens with a legend similar to my scar-inducing "Tailypo," "The Big Toe." Less sinister than severing a woodland creature's tail, in Schwartz's version, a little boy innocently uncovers a large toe sticking up in the garden. Not exploring further, he wrenches it from the ground (or a corpse) and gives it to his mother to cook, as one does. After dinner and settling into bed for sleep and digesting, a voice stalks the house, calling out for its missing toe. Whether zombie or ghost we can't be sure, as some versions end with the storyteller pouncing on a listener, and others with a figure in the chimney who returns the favor of having its toe consumed by eating the little boy. This is the perfect opening for a book set to scar children for life, because what is scarier than the idea of being devoured? Children know they won't stay children forever, that the ever-looming threat of adulthood stands in the shadows, ready to devour playtime and naps. To a child, play is synonymous with the self, and therefore maturity threatens to consume that self. Don't even have a taste of that toe, kids - once adulthood knows you're there, it will come knocking, forks drawn. As a child, I feared being devoured literally thanks to Tailypo and the grandma-eating Big Bad Wolf. As I got older this fear evolved into a biologically absurd terror at sharks that (I believed) swam in the freshwater lakes where my family would water-ski. In high school, my Asian Studies teacher gave a lecture on the film Jaws and the great white as metaphor for our own terror at things deep (and buried - like a corpse!) in our psyche rising up from the darkness to consume us, transforming us into the monsters we know we're capable of being, (the fact that the shark was a great white shark devouring victims is a post for another day). At 17, this lecture blew my mind and resparked my interest in horror,

Are you brave enough for Scary Stories? Some boys and girls were at a party one night. There was a graveyard down the street, and they were talking about how scary it was. "Don't ever stand on a grave after dark," one of the boys said. "The person inside will grab you." "A grave doesn't scare me," said one of the girls. "I'll do it right now. . . ." Welcome to the macabre world of Scary Stories, where folklorist Alvin Schwartz offers up the most alarming collection of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time. Here is a selection of extraordinarily chilling tales along with spine-tingling illustrations by renowned artist Brett Helquist.

**FEATURE FILM RELEASED 23rd AUGUST** "A wonderful collection of tales that range from creepy to silly to haunting. ...Gammell's drawings add just the right touch..." -- John Scieszka, Entertinment Weekly "Read these if you dare." -- The New York Times The iconic anthology series of horror tales that's soon to be a highly anticipated feature film! A classic collection of chillingly scary tales, collected and retold by Alvin Schwartz and featuring the original illustrations by lauded artist Steve Gammell. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark contains some of the most alarming tales of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time. Walking corpses, dancing bones, and narrow escapes from death-they're all here in this chilling collection of ghost stories. Make sure you read these books with the light ON!

Do you like to be scared? Ellen had just fallen asleep when she heard a strange voice. "Ellen," it whispered, "I am coming up the stairs." Ellen was frightened and called her parents, but they didn't hear her, and they didn't come. . . . Welcome to the frightening world of Scary Stories, a collection of folklorist Alvin Schwartz's most alarming tales of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time, with spine-tingling illustrations by renowned artist Brett Helquist.

A wry and affectionate look at the ups and downs of preschoolers in the big city."That's why they call permanent markers permanent," Harris' mother says as she surveys Harris and his best friend Ayana's handiwork in his bedroom. In 13 illustrated vignettes, young Harris gets into big and little adventures at home, at best friend Ayana's house, and throughout his diverse city neighborhood. Inspired by her own child, celebrated author-illustrator Amy Schwartz captures a preschooler's sense of wonder and possibility, such as when Harris and Ayana vow to keep holding hands "forever and ever"--even while riding stampeding elephants.A Junior Library Guild Selection