In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories (I Can Read! Reading 2)
Grade 1–3—This collection of short stories (HarperCollins, 1984) retold by Alvin Schwartz are just creepy enough to give youngsters shivers without causing nightmares. The seven tales were collected from a variety of sources and include some classics such as "The Green Ribbon" (holding on a severed head) and "The Night It Rained" (a man discovers that his hitchhiker was a ghost). Dirk Zimmer performs the stories in a sepulchral tone with a measured pace and different voices for the characters. Background music is light and seems deliberately designed to lessen the scary mood. This Level 2 I Can Read book is perfect for younger children who are constantly pestering the librarian for "something scary."—Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an alternatePaperbackedition.