The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight: More Poems to Trouble Your Sleep

by Jack Prelutsky, Arnold Lobel (Illustrator)

"In a companion volume to Nightmares, poet and artist again collaborate to elicit feelings of exquisite terror."--Horn Book. "Prelutsky's rhymes are as lethal, lithe, and literate as ever, and Lobel wrings every atmospheric ounce out of them."--School Library Journal.

Genres: Poetry, Horror, Halloween, Picture Books, Childrens, Juvenile, Fiction

40 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Jack Prelutsky is an American poet. He attended New York public schools, and later the High School of Music and Art and Hunter College. Prelutsky, who has also worked as a busboy, furniture mover, folk singer, and cab driver, claims that he hated poetry in grade school because of the way it was taught. He is the author of more than 30 poetry collections including Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep< and A Pizza the Size of the Sun. He has also compiled countless children's anthologies comprised of poems of others'. Jack Prelutsky was married to Von Tre Venefue, a woman he had met in France. They divorced in 1995, but Jack remarried. He currently lives in Washington state with his wife, Carolyn. He befriended a gay poet named Espiritu Salamanca in 1997 and both now work together in writing poems and stories for children and adults alike.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never read a children's book like Jack Prelutsky and Arnold Lobel's Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep from 1976, and that wouldn't be their final horror collaboration. 1980 gave us The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight: More Poems to Trouble Your Sleep, a collection as delightfully dark and wise as the first. Prelutsky's silky language and Lobel's haunting images meld into something neither could have produced alone, perhaps the perfect junior horror book.

Our first poem is "The Mummy", a look inside a shadowy Ancient Egyptian tomb as the brutal mummy comes alive to amble the desert for innocents to kill. When monsters animate, real or metaphorical, it can seem there's no escape. How terrifying to be in that desert with the mummy. "The Spectre on the Moor" features a shapeless phantasm that tempts the vulnerable to follow its luminous form. Dangerous things can appear so beautiful you want to reach out and touch, but following this spectre leads to eternal captivity. Next is "The Towering Giant", a mountain of a monster who crushes victims to dust under his stone feet and fists. When a mountain of suffering chooses you to fall upon, your destruction feels inevitable. We proceed to "The Zombie", a voodoo apparition that invades your most personal space with horror and tragedy. Woe to he who faces the zombie without it being only a nightmare.

In "The Kraken", there are those who don't believe in the mythological sea monster waiting to be awakened and terrorize humans. When the kraken hits your boat, the menace will come out of nowhere. Best to avoid such a monster, if possible. "The Darkling Elves" introduces sharp-toothed beasts whose appetite extends beyond food. You'll never know they're watching you until they pounce and gnaw the meat from your bones, caring not for your torment as they make their meal. Be careful how you behave...the elves are always ready for a victim. An evil woman plots harm in "The Sorceress", destroying lives through black magic. She can torture you without setting foot in the room. "The Invisible Beast" is a predator you know is stalking you, though you cannot see it. You can only imagine its horrific features as it closes in, a foe you fear but have no way to stop.

Far East mountains host the legendary yeti in "The Abominable Snowman". You may be skeptical he exists until he nabs you and ends your life in an instant, a sobering reminder what terrors lie beyond our perception. "The Banshee" speaks of a creature who portends misery and horror, and could show up on your doorstep at any time. The banshee halts all joy and progress, leaving you only moment to moment survival. "The Poltergeist" resonates with all who are prone to crippling anxiety, fears that refuse to depart even though there seems to be no justifying them. A poltergeist is no less real for its lack of flesh and blood, a fear that chews ravenously at your stomach. Our finale, "The Headless Horseman", traces the dark phantom's midnight ride to cull victims with his scythe. Snug in bed we never know when the horseman will visit agony on us. He is no respecter of persons.

You won't find more captivating Arnold Lobel illustrations than in these pages, and Jack Prelutsky's poetry pushes the macabre line in the best ways. The scare factor is potent, but the poems also hold coded warnings about life's real horrors. "The Spectre on the Moor", "The Zombie", "The Darkling Elves", "The Invisible Beast", and "The Poltergeist" speak to me loudest. This book of horror poetry is an extraordinary work of art, top to bottom.

[Matt Athanasiou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take the darkness of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, the whimsy of Shel Silverstein, the unsettling art of Edward Gorey, and the author’s own ability to delve deep into what makes these monsters horrific, and you have a wonderfully October book. Going to be a yearly read.

[Hayden Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, simple, and evocative grim poems for children. It paints a world where there are monsters in every corner, and all are hungry for us.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This companion to Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep is every bit as spooky and well-written as the first. It's a nice read-aloud for Halloween or any time your kids feel like being scared a bit.

[Texasshole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childhood favorite that I tracked down for Arnold Lobel's fantastic illustrations. That being said, Prelutsky's poetry is pretty in-depth and grim for children, which I of course loved. These are dark poems about evil creatures that will eat you. So much more fun than our modern mood where every monster has to have a heart of gold and a backstory about an uphappy childhood.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those fun books to read on a windy, cold night. It reminded me a lot of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The illustrations were beautiful in their own morbid way and the poems were entertaining. I particularly liked the one about The Headless Horseman, but I'm a huge fan of Sleepy Hollow, so that's why. I would recommend this book. 5 out of 5 stars.

[Juliette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Jack Prelutsky's poetry.
This was a fun book to read for Halloween.
I did like the illustrations, but not in conjunction with the poems. After the first read I found myself disappointed. So I looked at the illustrations and enjoyed them alone. Then I reread the poems covering up the illustrations and found the poems much better that second time. No offense to Arnold Lobel, but I recommend other readers read the poems while covering up the illustrations.
The poems would be wonderful poems to memorize for fireside entertainment.

[SaraKat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading more of Prelutsky's poems. They all are fun to read aloud and have great rhythms and rhymes. They will appeal to kids who like creepy books. My favorite poem in the bunch was The Invisible Beast.

[Travis Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it weren’t for his prior collection of horror poems, this would be the best collection of nightmare poems for kids in print. As it is, Prelutsky already got the low hanging monster fruit in book 1, but book 2 is solid with a couple unforgettable entries.

[Lisa of LaCreeperie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE Jack Prelutsky, especially with this illustrator, but his poetry speaks to me like few others do. I highly recommend collecting any title you can find by him.

[Ahimsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect Halloween book.

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was probably an oops purchase. I bought it for a lesson with my fourth graders, but they were not engaged. I think it might be too difficult for them.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for 5th grade, it did not go over well...too boring for them I guess, sigh...

[Danielle Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An equally spooky collection of poems, great follow up to the “nightmares” poetry collection by the same author.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read alouds!

[Sarah Karbassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as frightening as it was when I was 8, but still delightfully eerie.

[Haley Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I posted a detailed review in my blog. Please check that out. I follow back on there.

I thought this book was a lot of fun. I would stay clear of it though if you have a 7 year old who gets scared easily. I will for sure add it to the Halloween must reads list.

Book Review: The Headless Hourseman Rides Tonight by Jack Prelutsky illustrated by Aronld Lobel – Bookworm Ink
https://bookworminkk.wordpress.com/20...

[Rick Bavera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book consists of 12 scary poems about 12 scary creatures, with accompanying pictures for each in black and white--which help to set the mood.

Great for use as Halloween poetry. It appeals to/plays on a very common emotion--fear. There are many sensory images, both sight and sound, but also touch and smell. Strong rhythms in the poems, which reinforce the scariness, but could also make them sort of melodramatic and comedic. The rhymes work well, and occur within as well as between lines.

Fun book.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this a couple of years ago to have something creepy and spooky for Halloween, but not too scary. Actually, the poems are a little scary, and I found out later that one of my kids was kept up by one called, "The Zombie."

These poems deserve 4 stars for the really fun language and imagery. Not all of the poems are up at the same level, but most of them were great for vivid vocabulary and enjoyable cadence for reading aloud. I just read it again today to my six year old daughter. She declared, "Mom, that's not scary," but it was still fun and sets an overcast mood for October.

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these poems were *chef's kiss* excellent (especially "The Mummy"). Others were difficult to get a good tempo going, so I couldn't quite figure out the rhyme or the meter. Still, they were fun, a bit spooky, and a great Halloween read for a child (or even for an older reader). There's nothing here to scare you too badly, but just enough to make you feel that you're getting into the real Halloween spirit!

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as much as the first book. All the poems are very imaginative, creepy and detailed. I think Jack Prelutsky is quite gifted at writing poetry and this book definitely shows it.

Each poem manages to wrap its words around your mind, making you see the story it's telling.
It's a wonderfully creepy book of poetry.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep to stand on its own, but would be a nice companion to Nightmares if given as a gift.

[Riegs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book used to creep me out beyond belief, especially the Kraken and Banshee illustrations. I used to take it down from the shelf above my bed and stare into the eyes of the Elves late at night to freak myself out.

[Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the poem, "The Zombie".

[Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's poetry.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ben Lovegrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book of poems to read to children on Halloween

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Arnold Lobel is adept as always. I didn't like the choppy verse at all. I was stumbling all over the place, and since I was lying in bed at the time, that took some doing.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hands down, my favorite JP book so far. Incredibly creepy poems partnered with equally creepy illustrations. Just a hands down winner for books to creep out the kids without going overboard.

[Brittnee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but a little choppy.