The Haunted House inimitably sets the atmosphere for the poems that follow, hinting at unspeakable horrors roaming the forbidding old mansion, where no child would want to be trapped within. Through the dark they're creeping, crawling, Its brand of gothic menace is apt to linger in the back of one's memories for a lifetime. Young or old, emerging literate or veteran of hundreds or thousands of books, Nightmares won't quickly seep out of your brain after you read it. It's no surprise that this pairing of beloved poet and artist were able to meld their unique abilities into such an extraordinary expression of the best of the Halloween season, and young readers are the beneficiary of the end product.

Every drawing is shrouded in deep, palpable mystery, inviting the minds of spooked readers to imagine things ten times more alarming than what the story describes. Jack Prelutsky adroitly treads close to crossing the line into gruesome description that might be too much for some kids and their parents, but it's Arnold Lobel's illustrating magic that places Nightmares on solid footing among the best juvenile books of its kind. I would recommend this book to children ages seven and up since there are too many advanced words that young children might not understand and because of the macabre content displayed vividly in this book.Ĭould any artist have brought Jack Prelutsky's eerie poetic visions to life better than the iconic Arnold Lobel? I thought not before I cracked the binding on Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep, and my confidence was only bolstered by the book's contents. “Nightmares” is surely one of Jack Prelutsky’s most haunting books he ever created since it talks about how monsters torture their victims to death. The image that stood out the most was the image of the Dragon of Death having seven heads and vicious looking eyes in the poem “The Dragon of Death.” Arnold Lobel’s illustrations are the center of attention here as they are in black and white coloring, giving the story a gothic feel to it. Each poem describes a monster doing horrible acts towards their victims and Jack Prelutsky brings great detail to how these victims are tortured, such as in “The Vampire” where Jack Prelutsky describes how the Vampire bites down on its victim and licks the blood off its lips. Jack Prelutsky’s writing is dramatic and intense as he brings true horror to these poems. “Nightmares” might be too scary for smaller children, but older children will love the macabre content of this book. This book contains poems about various monsters, wizards and ghosts doing horrible things to unsuspecting people. Nightmares” is a book of poems written by Jack Prelutsky along with illustrations by Arnold Lobel.

Nightmares by Jack Prelutsky