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  • Tanja Nathanael and Olivia Bushardt

Spooky Stories from Around the World


Halloween Children's Books from around the world

In the spirit of the season, we would like to share with you some suggestions of spooky—and some not so spooky—stories from around the world. Although not everyone celebrates Halloween, most cultures have stories about things that go bump in the night, because stories are a universal way that humans have to deal with their fears. Some of these books, like Baba Yaga and Dhegdheer, are inspired by beloved popular folktales in their countries of origin. Others, like Der Struwwelpeter, are children’s literature classics. Some, like The Moving Skull and The Magic Wood, are a re-visioning of popular poetry from years past. Others, like Nightlights and The Nest, are newly minted and surely bound to become classics in their own time. We hope you enjoy these selections and have a Happy Halloween!

 
The Moving Skull and Other Awesome Australian Verse

AUSTRALIA

The Moving Skull and Other Awesome Australian Verse (1981)

collected by Michael Dugan.

This collection of spooky poetry about monsters, witches, ghosts and bunyips is penned by a variety of Australian contributors, including the editor and a young Sarah Endacott with a piece called “The Onfalong.”

 
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel and Jon Klassen

CANADA

The Nest (2015)

written by Kenneth Oppel and illustrated by Jon Klassen

The Nest is a suspenseful middle-grade novel about a family coping with a difficult diagnosis for their newborn son. The protagonist big brother Steve who is already anxious about germs and exhibits ritualistic behaviors including hand washing and reading gratitude lists worries about his parents and younger siblings. He begins to dream about the wasps living in the nest attached to his house, and in one dreamlike sequence, the wasp queen appears and offers Steve a solution—the wasps would switch the baby with a replica of their creation. Steve takes the bargain, only to later regret his choice. Oppel deftly blends reality and fantasy in the novel, leaving readers unsure what is real and what is happening in Steve’s mind.

 
Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez

COLOMBIA

Nightlights (2017)

written and illustrated by Lorena Alvarez

In this graphic novel for middle-grade readers set against the backdrop of a Catholic school, Sandy creates an imaginative world through her drawings, but her world is threatened by the appearance of a ghostly new arrival Morphie to Sandy’s world. This eerie novel’s ambiguous ending will leave readers’ guessing or waiting for the next novel in the series.

 
The Ghosts’ Dinner by Jacques Duquennoy

FRANCE

The Ghosts’ Dinner (1994)

written and illustrated by Jacques Duquennoy

In this not-so-spooky picture book, Henry invites several ghostly friends over for a special Halloween dinner, but as the ghosts eat his delicious creations, they change colors. Young readers will delight in seeing the ghosts’ funny interpretations of “you are what you eat.” Translated from French, the book is the first in a series, which eventually spawned a television show that follows the many adventures of four ghosts who live together in an ancient castle.

 
Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann

GERMANY

Der Struwwelpeter (1845)

written and illustrated by Heinrich Hoffmann

Der Struwwelpeter, known in English as "shock-headed Peter" or "Shaggy Peter," was first published in Germany in 1845. The illustrated collection includes humorous tales of naughty children who don’t eat their soup or pull dogs’ tales and thus face dire repercussions for their actions. In one famous story, the protagonist won’t stop sucking his thumb despite his mother’s warnings until one day a tailor comes by and cuts his thumbs off.

 
A Tangle of Brungles by Shobha Viswanath and Culpeo Fox

INDIA

A Tangle of Brungles (2018)

written by Shobha Viswanath and illustrated by Culpeo Fox

In this comical picture book, the witch with a wart gathers her coven and brews a powerful potion to summon the king of her heart—the dastardly and grotesque Bungle. As the witches brew a broth from their black book, a litany of animals appears to watch the festivities with hilarious results. Young readers will delight at the alliterative style, rhymes, and clever use of collective nouns.

 

JAMAICA

Duppy Jamboree and Other Jamaican Poems (1992)

written and illustrated by Valerie Bloom

A child who sees duppies (ghosts) out her window fears they are coming for her. She runs to her mother's bed where her mother reassures her that there is nothing to fear. A collection of exuberant and humorous poems for children from an author born and brought up in the Caribbean.

 
Yurei Attack!: The Japanese Ghost Survivial Guide by Hiroko Yoda, Matt Alt, and Shinkichi

JAPAN

Yurei Attack!: The Japanese Ghost Survival Guide (2012)

written by Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt and illustrated by Shinkichi

Visually appealing and engaging, this reference-styled work supplies historical background, regional origins, and related trivia, along with entertaining stories and tips to survive encounters with Japan’s legendary monsters and spirits.

 
Behind the Mask by Yangsook Choi

KOREA

Behind the Mask (2006)

written and illustrated by Yangsook Choi

With the arrival of Halloween, young Kimin decides he would like to dress up as his grandfather, a one-time Korean mask dancer, and wear his captivating mask. Kimin endures the teasing of his schoolmates, but bonds with his grandfather and discovers that the mask has a secret just for him.

 
Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes and Yuyi Morales

PUERTO RICO

Los Gatos Black on Halloween (2006)

written by Marisa Montes and illustrated by Yuyi Morales

Bilingual in English and Spanish. Lively and bright illustrations illuminate the monsters’ ball at Haunted Hall. A spooky array of Spanish words are interspersed in English text introduce young readers to their favorite Halloween monsters in Español.

 
Baba Yaga by Katya Arnold

RUSSIA

Baba Yaga (1996)

retold and illustrated by Katya Arnold

Baba Yaga is a supernatural figure from Russian folklore that often appears as an older woman riding a mortar and pestle; she can be villainous, benign, or serve to test the hero of the tale. Arnold’s retelling is based primarily on the story “Tereshichka” from Alexander Afanas’ev’s collection of Russian fairy tales first published in 1866 and is illustrated in the style of Russian lubok folk print art. In the story a couple want a child so dearly that they dress up a piece of wood as a baby. The piece of wood magically comes to life, and the couple has a son Tishka, whom they warn about the dangers of Baba Yaga. One day Baba Yaga tricks Tishka by mimicking his mother’s voice and kidnaps him, taking him to her house to eat. Through trickery and some luck Tishka outsmarts the witch and escapes her clutches.

 
Dhegdheer: A Scary Somali Folktale by Marian A. Hassan and Betsy Bowen

SOMALIA

Dhegdheer: A Scary Somali Folktale (2007)

retold by Marian A. Hassan and illustrated by Betsy Bowen

A perennial figure in Somali folktales, Dhegdheer meaning long ear is a cannibal woman who eats people who cross her path. In this bilingual picture book with both English and Somali text, Dhegdheer has laid waste to the Hargega Valley, turning the once green land into a desert. Because people avoid the area, she sets a trap for lowly travelers looking for a place to rest. A virtuous widow and her son become caught in Dhegdheer’s trap but escape with the help of Dhegdheer’s daughter. Their goodness allows them to cross the deadly valley, which swallows up Dhegdheer for her sins. The book is available online through the Minnesota Humanities Center’s Somali Bilingual Book Project.

 
La Mansión Misteriosa by Carmen Gil and Riki Blanco

SPAIN

La Mansión Misteriosa (2008)

written by Carmen Gil and illustrated by Riki Blanco

Famed Spanish author and poet Carmen Gil creates a world of monsters—ghosts, witches, dragons, werewolves, mummies, vampires—living in a mysterious house. Illustrated through mixed media, this cleverly rhymed picture book slowly reveals that maybe these monsters aren’t so scary after all, and maybe they are just living in a little girl’s dollhouse.

 
Anna Wahlenberg’s Swedish Fairy Tales

SWEDEN

“The Boy Who Became a Goblin” from Anna Wahlenberg’s Swedish Fairy Tales (1901)

translated by Axel Wahlenberg

In this Swedish fairy tale, young Gusten’s nurse warns him that goblins have a right to naughty little boys who meddle with other people’s watches, but Gusten doesn’t listen to her warnings and is taken by the goblins one night. They crown him their goblin prince, and over the years he becomes more goblin-like in appearance and temperament. Only the love of the beautiful and saintly Astrid, a young girl also taken by the goblins when she wanders alone into the forest, turns him back into a human. They escape through the help of their owl friend, only for Gusten to awaken from his fever dream as a young boy in his crib.

 

UNITED KINGDOM

Henry Treece’s 1945 poem is presented in a picture book The Magic Wood (1992) with illustrations by Barry Moser

The refrain says it all: "The wood is full of shining eyes, / The wood is full of creeping feet, / The wood is full of tiny cries: / You must not go to the wood at night!" Mysterious, creepy, and unforgettable!

 
The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia McKissak and Brian Pinkney

UNITED STATES

The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural (2001)

written by Patricia McKissak and illustrated by Brian Pinkney

Inspired by African American history from the time of slavery to the civil rights era, these stories are tales to be told during “the dark-thirty”—that peculiar half-hour of twilight in which the familiar becomes uncanny. Suspenseful and thrilling unforgettable tales!

 
Tanja Nathanael

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Over the past decade, Tanja Nathanael has been building substantial experience in international children's literature by means of travel, coursework, publications, and conferences. Her study of children's literature has taken her to Iceland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Poland, Sweden, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Additionally, she has published numerous "postcard" book reviews in Bookbird, an international children’s literature magazine. She has also presented on the topic of international children's literature at both regional and international conferences, including the 15th Annual European Conference on Reading in Berlin in 2007 and on ChLA's international panel on Iceland in 2008. Professionally, she has served on ChLA’s international committee (2015-2018) and continues her support as Co-Editor of the blog. She is currently serving on the Studies in Languages and Literatures Advisory Board for The International Federation for Languages and Literatures (FILLM). She successfully defended her dissertation in Fall 2018 and graduated with a PhD in English Literature at the University of Southern Mississippi in Spring 2019. Her research interests include nineteenth century British Literature—especially Old Northern antiquities as celebrated by the Victorians—and children’s literature, including broader connections to international literatures within these areas.

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