How ‘Scary’ Picture Books like “DANGEROUS!” Strengthen Bonds With Your Child
DANGEROUS! by Tim Warnes(Little Tiger Press, 2014)Good to Read for:Learning about crocodiles and alligatorsValidating children’s emotionsDramatic storytimes! Teacher Vanessa messaged me from Rio De Janeiro this week with a question from Class 1B: “Is the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing – a coisa escamosa (literally, the scaly thing) – an alligator or a crocodile?”It’s a great question and something I’ve wondered myself!
To be honest, when I was creating the illustrations, I didn’t give it much thought. As a result, the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing is a bit of a mash-up (in more ways than one, as you’ll see further on). It has an alligator's broad snout combined with a crocodile's distinctive 'up and down' tooth arrangement. (When alligators’ mouths are closed, only the upper teeth are visible, which looks less fearsome and not as visually pleasing.)
Its sharp-looking toes are distinctly separate like a crocodile’s (whereas alligators have webbed feet). Yet the story is set around freshwater, somewhere in a forest, which suggests an alligator, since crocodiles prefer brackish and saltwater.
In other words, the jury is out!
(I recorded an explanation for Class 1B which you can see here!)
Something else influenced my design for the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing.
Just look at those great big googly eyes and how it gobbles up all those labels (much to Mole’s annoyance).
Yum yum yum!
Remind you of anyone?
How about Cookie Monster?
I don’t recall it being a deliberate choice. But I do know I was watching a lot of Sesame Street at the time, since I was using puppets and writing skits for my kids’ work at church. Looking back at the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing now, the influence is most apparent.
In his book Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon encourages artists to remix, mash up and build upon the ideas of others. ‘You are a mash-up of what you choose to let into your life,’ Kleon writes. ‘You are the sum of your influence. The German writer Goethe said, “We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.”’
And I LOVE Cookie Monster!
Like Cookie Monster, the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing is impulsive and uncontrolled – exactly how young children naturally behave around things they love! This glorious inhibition creates instant recognition. When kids see the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing’s over-the-top excitement, they feel a connection. This is how I feel inside! And suddenly, their intense emotions feel normal and completely acceptable. The characters represent children’s desire for immediate gratification – without consequences or guilt. While children are learning self-control and delayed gratification, these characters show them a world where you can have what you want when you want it, which is both thrilling and comforting. (They can also see, from Mole’s reaction, the potential consequence of such unbridled joy!)
Unlike Cookie Monster, the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing also represents potential threat. In this instance, young kids identify with Mole. Will he get eaten and caught in those enormous jaws?
The Lumpy-Bumpy Thing licked its long, scaly lips, flashed its snippy-snappy teeth and…
Many other great picture books (for example, Mina by Matthew Forsythe) add a frisson of danger and excitement to storytime by tapping into children’s primal fear – that Something out there is going to gobble them up. As you hold your child close during storytime, you're providing both physical and emotional safety. Your presence reassures them that even though the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing seems dangerous, everything is actually okay. Facing fears within the safe confines of storytime (via another character, such as Mole) is a healthy part of child development, as Ellen Handler Spitz explains in Inside Picture Books:
‘[The adult reader] can provide a psychological embrace as well as a physical one. The adult’s presence produces a sense of safety, and this feeling of security is of paramount importance because, in the years when picture books are used, representations are not yet fully distinguished from the objects they represent.’
– Ellen Handler Spitz, Inside Picture BooksTo a child, Handler Spitz explains, something threatening in a picture book may seem capable of clambering out of the pages and devouring the reader. Or haunting their dreams. And we don’t want that, now do we?
So it’s no wonder that many picture books portray crocodilians as gentle and often funny and goofy. (I’ve listed my favourites below.) Despite their sharp teeth and claws, characters like Mo Willems’ Alligator and Emma Chichester Clark’s Croc (from her Melrose and Croc series) are not in the least bit threatening. These potentially dangerous characters help children process complex emotions about things that seem scary but might actually turn out to be harmless. They subvert expectations and encourage children to look beyond mere appearance.
This idea – Don’t judge a book by its cover – was the driving force behind DANGEROUS! As Kids’ Book Review notes, the story teaches young kids ‘that things aren't always what they seem, and that pre-emptively ‘labelling’ or judging things can sometimes lead to missing out on opportunity.’ As Melrose and Mole both discover, what you first perceive as a menacing, lumpy-bumpy threat might someday become your best friend!
Perhaps Brazilian kids have taken so well to these books because of their native caimans – or jacaré . Either way, I’m so grateful to parents like Eduardo Amoroso Parra (@eduparrox) who messaged:
"We have such great times reading DANGEROUS! It's a every night before bed kind of deal! Abraços from Brazil!"
And let’s not forget the hard-working educators all around the world who share my stories, as Vanessa did with Class 1B. I will have the pleasure of meeting some of them next month in Rio. All thanks to ‘Bob’ (Mole) y uma coisa escamosa!
3 practical tips for sharing Picture Book with your childEmbrace your inner child! Go on – I dare you! Have fun playing around with character voices and acting out the joyfully goofy behaviour of the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing, affirming children that uninhibited expressions of joy are acceptable!
Don’t be in a rush to get through the book – let the page turns naturally build tension and create suspense. Take a moment to pause and ask your child what they think might happen next.
After reading, talk about how first impressions can be wrong. Discuss not judging others by appearance and being open to unexpected friendships.
DANGEROUS! by Tim Warnes(Little Tiger Press, 2014)Good to Read for:Learning about crocodiles and alligatorsValidating children’s emotionsDramatic storytimes! Copyright © 2014 Tim Warnes (Text & Illustrations)From DANGEROUS! by Tim Warnes(Little Tiger Press)Melrose and Croc, from Melrose and Croc by Emma Chichester Clark (Tommy Nelson 2019)Customer image courtesy @album.isac | Used by permission GOOD TO READBest picture books featuring lumpy-bumpy things
Guji-Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen
Melrose and Croc by Emma Chichester Clark
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
Ellie’s Dragon by Bob Graham
How to Light Your Dragon by Didier Lévy & Fred Benaglia
The Crocodile Who Didn’t Like Water by Gemma Merino
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber
Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator! by Mo Willems
DANGEROUS! by Tim Warnes
WARNING! by Tim Warnes
Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli & Mariachiara Di Giorgio
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