Thursday, August 12, 2021

My Mama Says There Aren't Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things

Written by: Judith Viorst and Kay Chorao

First line: My mama says there isn't an mean-eyed monster with long slimy hair and pointy claws going scritchy-scratch, scritchy-scritchy-scratch outside my window.

Why you should read this book: In a child's eyes, the world is full of terrors and wonder, and our child narrator has ample sensory evidence for the existence of a whole pantheon of monsters lurking just at the edge of human perception. In every case, the child's perception allows him to see or hear the horrors of his world, and in every case his mother denies any foundation for his reality. But the observant child notes a litany of mistakes his mother makes on a regular basis, and a long list of things she's definitely wrong about, so how can he possibly trust her when she reassures him that monsters aren't real?

Why you shouldn't read this book: You need your kid to believe that you're infallible.

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