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There's a Nightmare in My Closet
The pesky nightmare in the closet won't stay in there at night, even with the door closed all the way. When he gets out, what do you do? Comfort him and put him to bed, of course! The ultimate afraid-of-the-dark story has helped generations of kids deal with the nightmares in their own closets.A perennial favorite.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
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3972 people want to read
About the author
Mercer Mayer
784 books777 followersMercer Mayer is an American children's author and illustrator. He has published over 300 books, using a wide range of illustrative styles. Mayer is best known for his Little Critter and Little Monster series of books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 382 reviews
March 11, 2020
ENGLISH (There's a Nightmare in My Closet) / ITALIANO
«There used to be a nightmare in my closet. Before going to sleep, I always closed the closet door»Winner of the Andersen Prize foer the year 2016, I got my eye on this illustrated story at the Naples Book Fair (2018), and it hit me. My wife saw me looking at this book greedy when I was at the fair, so a few weeks later she gave it to me. With the blessing of my daughter, of course.
Vote: 8
«C’era una strana creatura nel mio armadio. Prima di andare a dormire, chiudevo sempre la porta dell’armadio»Vincitore del premio Andersen 2016, ed adocchiato per la prima volta dal sottoscritto al Salone del Libro a Napoli (2018), questo racconto illustrato mi ha folgorato. Mia moglie mi ha visto sfogliarlo ripetutamente allo stand della Kalandraka, tanto che qualche settimana dopo me lo ha regalato. Con il benestare di mia figlia, ovviamente.
Voto: 8
August 27, 2019
Reading this seems to spark a memory. I think I read this as a child, not sure. It looks familiar. I also think others have used this concept before too - James Howe has a story similar. This is a wonderful book about facing one’s fear.
A boy knows there is a monster in the closest so one night he waits for the monster. He has his cork gun and he turns off the lights. Sure enough a monster, huge and ugly comes out of the closet. He threatens the monsters and then shots him and the monster begins to cry. The boy then takes care of him and tucks him in his bed. He thinks there is probably another monster in his closet, but there is no more room in his bed for another one.
I love this story. It is fantastic. I was a kid ruled by my fears and I wouldn’t have had the guts to do this. ET, my favorite movie still, scared the crap out of me and I couldn’t understand how Elliot stayed outside on his own looking for something. It’s nice to see a brave kid and what they would do.
This was my nephew’s kind of book. He loved this thing. He loved the big scared looking monster. He loved that it ended up in the boys bed. He thought this was the best book we have read in a while. He gave this 5 stars. He told me that he knows there aren’t monsters in his closet now. At one time he would have thought there were, but now he knows not. He wondered if this monster was part of the workers at Monsters Inc. He loves that movie.
A boy knows there is a monster in the closest so one night he waits for the monster. He has his cork gun and he turns off the lights. Sure enough a monster, huge and ugly comes out of the closet. He threatens the monsters and then shots him and the monster begins to cry. The boy then takes care of him and tucks him in his bed. He thinks there is probably another monster in his closet, but there is no more room in his bed for another one.
I love this story. It is fantastic. I was a kid ruled by my fears and I wouldn’t have had the guts to do this. ET, my favorite movie still, scared the crap out of me and I couldn’t understand how Elliot stayed outside on his own looking for something. It’s nice to see a brave kid and what they would do.
This was my nephew’s kind of book. He loved this thing. He loved the big scared looking monster. He loved that it ended up in the boys bed. He thought this was the best book we have read in a while. He gave this 5 stars. He told me that he knows there aren’t monsters in his closet now. At one time he would have thought there were, but now he knows not. He wondered if this monster was part of the workers at Monsters Inc. He loves that movie.
September 28, 2017
Just in time for Halloween...be sure to check before you go to bed!
September 19, 2012
"There's A Nightmare In My Closet" by Mercer Mayer is a book that is close to my heart. As soon as I saw this book in the library I immediately picked it up because I remember my mom reading it to me. My brother and I would love reading this book because it secured us that all monsters are babies and there is nothing to be scared of. The story is very short but cute. The illustrations are very well done with lots of detail in them. The main character, is a brave young boy determined to not be frightened by his nightmare. He likes to sleep with his toy gun and a hat ready to fight his nightmare when the lights turn off.
I choose this book as my read aloud because I love this book to death. It is a great story that I can personally relate to because I was always scared of something being in my closet or some scary nightmares that I would have. This book teaches young kids that there is nothing to be afraid of and that these nightmares are more scared of us than we are of them. I hope kids can all turn to the main character as their hero who is determined to fight these nightmares. I love the humor at the end where the nightmare is asleep with the little boy and there is a second nightmare that comes around trying to get in bed with them. But he states that his bed is not big enough for three. I would suggest this book as a great bedtime story for ages as young as 3.
I choose this book as my read aloud because I love this book to death. It is a great story that I can personally relate to because I was always scared of something being in my closet or some scary nightmares that I would have. This book teaches young kids that there is nothing to be afraid of and that these nightmares are more scared of us than we are of them. I hope kids can all turn to the main character as their hero who is determined to fight these nightmares. I love the humor at the end where the nightmare is asleep with the little boy and there is a second nightmare that comes around trying to get in bed with them. But he states that his bed is not big enough for three. I would suggest this book as a great bedtime story for ages as young as 3.
April 29, 2019
I'm conflicted. For what it is, and taking into account when it was written, it's a cute story.
However, we live in an age of school shootings and people thinking that guns will solve all their problems. Showing a child solving the problem of a nightmare by shooting it with a rifle might not play well to a 21st-century audience. In this case, yes, it's a toy gun. But there are kids out there with real guns, and I don't think we should be encouraging them to shoot at things that come through the door.
From a 1960s perspective? This is probably a four-star book. The way the boy comforts the nightmare (the poor thing just got shot at, after all; he's allowed to be upset) is sweet.
From a 2010s perspective? The kid shouldn't have been shooting nightmares in the first place. And since the nightmare isn't really a bad guy, there could've been other ways of handling the conflict in the story.
However, we live in an age of school shootings and people thinking that guns will solve all their problems. Showing a child solving the problem of a nightmare by shooting it with a rifle might not play well to a 21st-century audience. In this case, yes, it's a toy gun. But there are kids out there with real guns, and I don't think we should be encouraging them to shoot at things that come through the door.
From a 1960s perspective? This is probably a four-star book. The way the boy comforts the nightmare (the poor thing just got shot at, after all; he's allowed to be upset) is sweet.
From a 2010s perspective? The kid shouldn't have been shooting nightmares in the first place. And since the nightmare isn't really a bad guy, there could've been other ways of handling the conflict in the story.
April 21, 2009
Oh! to be four years old again!
This is the story of a little boy who just knows he has a monster in his closet. The monster is a Nightmare, and when the little boy has had enough, he wages war with him, donning his soldier hat and a cork pop gun for protection. When he turns out the light, he is prepared for battle, but when he turns on the light to find the Nightmare sitting at the foot of his bed, something unexpected happens. Instead of running away when he's shot with the cork pop gun, the monster cries and cries. Ultimately the little boy, who sees that there was nothing to be afraid of in the first place, befriends the big Nightmare, and they become some sort of unusual roommates.
This story reminds me of the Dr. Seuss story, "What Was I Scared Of?" in which a pair of pale green pants with nobody inside them haunts the narrator until the narrator finds that the pants are as afraid of him as he is of the pants. This is a common trope in literature, and Mayer's treatment of it is wonderful and enchanting. It is an inspiration for Wonderment. Deconstructionists might say that the story has unintended homosexual undertones, and some people are offended by the pseudo-violence, but I think that children take the story at face value, and enjoy finding out that the little boy had nothing to fear. These criticisms are examples of ad-hoc backward applications of contemporary sensititivities, and therefore, for the same reasons that I would not keep children from reading Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer stories, this one would stay on the shelf. Mayer's illustrations are whimsical and brilliant, even if they are in only white, turquoise, and orange, and I think that children will continue to enjoy this one for a long time coming.
This is the story of a little boy who just knows he has a monster in his closet. The monster is a Nightmare, and when the little boy has had enough, he wages war with him, donning his soldier hat and a cork pop gun for protection. When he turns out the light, he is prepared for battle, but when he turns on the light to find the Nightmare sitting at the foot of his bed, something unexpected happens. Instead of running away when he's shot with the cork pop gun, the monster cries and cries. Ultimately the little boy, who sees that there was nothing to be afraid of in the first place, befriends the big Nightmare, and they become some sort of unusual roommates.
This story reminds me of the Dr. Seuss story, "What Was I Scared Of?" in which a pair of pale green pants with nobody inside them haunts the narrator until the narrator finds that the pants are as afraid of him as he is of the pants. This is a common trope in literature, and Mayer's treatment of it is wonderful and enchanting. It is an inspiration for Wonderment. Deconstructionists might say that the story has unintended homosexual undertones, and some people are offended by the pseudo-violence, but I think that children take the story at face value, and enjoy finding out that the little boy had nothing to fear. These criticisms are examples of ad-hoc backward applications of contemporary sensititivities, and therefore, for the same reasons that I would not keep children from reading Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer stories, this one would stay on the shelf. Mayer's illustrations are whimsical and brilliant, even if they are in only white, turquoise, and orange, and I think that children will continue to enjoy this one for a long time coming.
September 2, 2008
Booklady had the supreme pleasure yesterday of having an adorable, adoring little three year old girl to read to! Not only was she cute, well-mannered and an absolute joy to be around, but she wanted me to read to her! Twist my arm... Not!
There's a Nightmare in My Closet is a fun story about a young child who decides to tackle nighttime monsters head-on. A simple, humorous tale about making friends with fear.
There's a Nightmare in My Closet is a fun story about a young child who decides to tackle nighttime monsters head-on. A simple, humorous tale about making friends with fear.
September 5, 2007
"Go away nightmare or I'll shoot you!"
"I shot him anyway..."
Love it. Read it and be five again, if only for a brief moment.
"I shot him anyway..."
Love it. Read it and be five again, if only for a brief moment.
December 31, 2017
Another favorite from my childhood. Mayer's illustrations are every bit as enchanting as Sendak's and it is a sweet little story to boot!
October 27, 2011
I remember reading this story years ago and just recently picked it up again for another view. It hasn't lost any of its 'umph' over the years. I LOVE that the nightmare monster from the closet turns out to just be a scared monster that wants to hide under the boy's covers with him :) And again, Mercer Mayer - what more needs to be said. You can't ever go wrong with his illustrations.
July 4, 2017
I first read this book in a children's lit class in college before I even had children, and I loved it so much I bought it for my future kids then! I absolutely adore the darling illustrations and the loveable monster(s).
May 19, 2017
These nightmares are cute!
September 23, 2019
Conquering your fears by feeling sympathy for them—cute.
May 19, 2010
“There’s a Nightmare in my Closet” is a children’s book from Mercer Mayer, author of the popular “Little Critter” books and it is about how a small boy overcomes his fear of a nightmare in his closet. “There’s a Nightmare in my Closet” may be a cute story about conquering your fears, but the story is a bit dull for some children.
Mercer Mayer’s illustrations are creative and colorful as he illustrates the nightmare as being extremely huge but seems to look a bit goofy as it has two big front teeth and has green polka dots against his pinkish skin. Also, Mercer Mayer gives the story a somewhat dreary atmosphere as the colors look a bit washed out and plain. Mercer Mayer does bring out a positive message for children about conquering your fears, which the boy does a great job at conquering his fear of the nightmare. I will not tell you what happens at the end, but the ending (well, let’s just say the ending is very similar to the ending of “Simon’s Book”) is extremely cute and will easily reassure children to not be too scared of monsters.
Parents should know that the nightmare might scare smaller children since it is extremely big and ugly and parents should try to reassure their children that there are no nightmares in their closets. Also, the story seems a bit too weak as the characters seem a bit one-dimensional, meaning that you cannot relate to them easily since they do not have any personality that distinguishes them. Even though the nightmare is harmless, he rarely has any personality that can distinguish him, as the same with the boy, even though the audience knows that the boy is brave, but he seems to be lacking any emotion that makes him likeable.
“There’s a Nightmare in my Closet” may be a cute story about how a boy conquers his fear over a nightmare, but since the story is a bit too weak and the characters do not seem to have much personality, some children might be easily bored with this book. I would strongly recommend Maurice Sendak’s classic “Where the Wild Things Are” over this book because the characters are much more memorable and the illustrations are much more beautiful than in this book. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since smaller children might be frightened by the huge nightmare in the book.
Mercer Mayer’s illustrations are creative and colorful as he illustrates the nightmare as being extremely huge but seems to look a bit goofy as it has two big front teeth and has green polka dots against his pinkish skin. Also, Mercer Mayer gives the story a somewhat dreary atmosphere as the colors look a bit washed out and plain. Mercer Mayer does bring out a positive message for children about conquering your fears, which the boy does a great job at conquering his fear of the nightmare. I will not tell you what happens at the end, but the ending (well, let’s just say the ending is very similar to the ending of “Simon’s Book”) is extremely cute and will easily reassure children to not be too scared of monsters.
Parents should know that the nightmare might scare smaller children since it is extremely big and ugly and parents should try to reassure their children that there are no nightmares in their closets. Also, the story seems a bit too weak as the characters seem a bit one-dimensional, meaning that you cannot relate to them easily since they do not have any personality that distinguishes them. Even though the nightmare is harmless, he rarely has any personality that can distinguish him, as the same with the boy, even though the audience knows that the boy is brave, but he seems to be lacking any emotion that makes him likeable.
“There’s a Nightmare in my Closet” may be a cute story about how a boy conquers his fear over a nightmare, but since the story is a bit too weak and the characters do not seem to have much personality, some children might be easily bored with this book. I would strongly recommend Maurice Sendak’s classic “Where the Wild Things Are” over this book because the characters are much more memorable and the illustrations are much more beautiful than in this book. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since smaller children might be frightened by the huge nightmare in the book.
October 23, 2012
Summary
This book is about a boy being afraid of a nightmare living in his bedroom closet. Before going to sleep he would make sure his closet door was closed and was even afraid to turn around to see if it was tight closed. One night he decided to be brave and get through his fear and leave the door open. The images show step by step what the boys does and how he gets through his fear of the nightmare when his scary night is standing right next to his bed. The author tries to show kids being afraid at night can be accomplish.
Response
This book deserves 5 stars. I rate it five stars because the images follow the text when you are reading it to a children. It helps the kids understand what the pictures mean and why was a boy scare of his closet at night. I can relate to this boy because the same way he was afraid of his closet, I, myself was afraid of heights but got over my fear by taking little steps and going to six flags and getting on the roller coasters!
Classroom Connection
A classroom connection would be to have each student imagine going to an adventure and write a summary of it then draw a picture of their favorite part of the adventure. The students would have to include the things they saw, what they heard, what they accomplished and what scared them.
Lexile: 670
Grade Level: K- 2nd grade.
Guided Reading: I
32 pages
This book is about a boy being afraid of a nightmare living in his bedroom closet. Before going to sleep he would make sure his closet door was closed and was even afraid to turn around to see if it was tight closed. One night he decided to be brave and get through his fear and leave the door open. The images show step by step what the boys does and how he gets through his fear of the nightmare when his scary night is standing right next to his bed. The author tries to show kids being afraid at night can be accomplish.
Response
This book deserves 5 stars. I rate it five stars because the images follow the text when you are reading it to a children. It helps the kids understand what the pictures mean and why was a boy scare of his closet at night. I can relate to this boy because the same way he was afraid of his closet, I, myself was afraid of heights but got over my fear by taking little steps and going to six flags and getting on the roller coasters!
Classroom Connection
A classroom connection would be to have each student imagine going to an adventure and write a summary of it then draw a picture of their favorite part of the adventure. The students would have to include the things they saw, what they heard, what they accomplished and what scared them.
Lexile: 670
Grade Level: K- 2nd grade.
Guided Reading: I
32 pages
October 28, 2010
OK, I'll admit it. I think what made me like the book so much was the toy cannon. So cute and tiny next to this boy ready to wage war on the nightmare. Something tells me this is another book I read somewhere in the past. But as I could not remember it thoroughly, it was like reading it for the first time. And I enjoyed it. Not too much text. Pictures that aren't too scary, considering it's talking about a nightmare. And I liked the twist in the ending, too. Definitely one I can see kids enjoying.
10/9/10 This worked very well in Craft Storytime, with the various ages. It was a good closing (and filler) book. I think I'll use this in my upcoming repeat ST to replace the book that bombed.
10/12/10 Both Outreach preschool groups liked this. It was fun to read and they liked it. A quick read that helped fill time well.
10/19/10 & 10/21/10 I decided to replace the failed Dino book with this and it went so well. The preschool groups loved it. And special needs group really loved it.
I think this one got better with the telling of it!
10/9/10 This worked very well in Craft Storytime, with the various ages. It was a good closing (and filler) book. I think I'll use this in my upcoming repeat ST to replace the book that bombed.
10/12/10 Both Outreach preschool groups liked this. It was fun to read and they liked it. A quick read that helped fill time well.
10/19/10 & 10/21/10 I decided to replace the failed Dino book with this and it went so well. The preschool groups loved it. And special needs group really loved it.
I think this one got better with the telling of it!
March 10, 2012
I grew up with this book so this is many memories for me. I like that at first he was scared of his nightmare in the closet but at the end he is the one telling him it will be okay. It is what every parent hopes will happen when their child goes through the monster in the closet deal. You can use this to help ease and teach your own child not to be afraid.
August 4, 2020
This is a fun little book. I remember it from when I was young, so it was nice to read it to my son.
February 18, 2012
The cover art of this book shows a picture of a scared-looking little boy looking at his closet, while a very large monster-like creature peaks out of the closet at him. The color pallet throughout this book is very muted and calm, yet somehow created a weird tension as I looked at it. Maybe the tension came from the use of the lines that showed shadow all over the room, except where the little boy’s lamp is shining. Some of the illustrations are full-bleed, while others only utilize a small portion of the page. I first thought that the pages with a border of white space around them were the pages when the little boy felt the most venerable, but later in the book there is an opening with two illustrations like this, and it comes just after the boy shoots the nightmare and the nightmare began to cry. I am sure that the boy was not feeling scared at that point, so that shot down my initial thought. I still don’t know what exactly Mayer was trying to accomplish by framing those few pages, but I like that it adds variety to the look of the story. If it weren’t for those pages, the entire book would be seen from just one angle while we watch the story unfold in the boy’s room. I feel that the font is not as much fun as it is in other children’s books, and I’m not sure, but I wonder if the plain font is due to the age of the book. Maybe back in ’68 there weren’t fun fonts available. I really like the details in the illustrations in this book. Even though the poor boy’s room looked bare to me, I love that Mayer changed little things like which toys were left out from night to night, or even that the trash had different things in it on different nights. I feel like these details add to the reality of the illustrations, which already have a fairly high modality, in my opinion. An interesting thing to me was that the image zones seem to be askew a bit in this story. The nightmare is significantly taller than the boy, yet he is not the authority in the story: the boy is. The idea of the left side of the page being old and the right side being new is also a bit off. The nightmare comes from the left side, though he is not new. The boy’s bed is on the right side of the page, so he is almost always on that side of the illustrations. Again, I don’t know why Mayer did this, but I for some reason, feel that the story would be different if the boy was on the left side with the nightmare on the right. I feel like that would make me afraid that the nightmare would eat the kid or something, and I don’t think that a children’s book where the brave little boy tries to defeat the nightmare then gets eaten would sell very well.
September 2, 2015
In this book, one little boy talks about the monster hiding away in his closet. Every night, before going to bed, he makes sure to close the closet door to keep the nightmare away. The monster is scary, and the little boy is only sometimes tempted to peek at the closed door. Then one night he decides to confront the monster, only to realize that not all are as they seem.
I thought this was a great book! The story is very relatable. The main character is a little boy is admirable in his decision to confront his fears. The art is eye-catching, yet understated at the same time – enhancing the story in the text, but not detracting from the words themselves. The sentences are short and the vocabulary is simple, which is perfect for early-readers.
The first thing that I noticed about this book was the interaction between the boy and the monster on the cover. Although, the boy and the nightmare are looking at each other, their expressions are not the usual fearful and fearsome reactions. The boy looks determined to play on his tricycle, while the monster looks more friendly than ferocious.
This is a short picture-book, with each page containing at most a sentence. Yet, the story it tells is one every reader can relate to. We’ve all been scared of the monster hiding somewhere in our room, but very few of us got the chance to face these monsters. Not only does this little boy conquers his monster on his own, he finds it in himself to forgive and comfort the distressed monster. The story is entertaining, while teaching adults and children alike the age-old adage: “Never judge a book by its cover”.
I thought this was a great book! The story is very relatable. The main character is a little boy is admirable in his decision to confront his fears. The art is eye-catching, yet understated at the same time – enhancing the story in the text, but not detracting from the words themselves. The sentences are short and the vocabulary is simple, which is perfect for early-readers.
The first thing that I noticed about this book was the interaction between the boy and the monster on the cover. Although, the boy and the nightmare are looking at each other, their expressions are not the usual fearful and fearsome reactions. The boy looks determined to play on his tricycle, while the monster looks more friendly than ferocious.
This is a short picture-book, with each page containing at most a sentence. Yet, the story it tells is one every reader can relate to. We’ve all been scared of the monster hiding somewhere in our room, but very few of us got the chance to face these monsters. Not only does this little boy conquers his monster on his own, he finds it in himself to forgive and comfort the distressed monster. The story is entertaining, while teaching adults and children alike the age-old adage: “Never judge a book by its cover”.
February 18, 2017
A young boy is trying to go to sleep, but there is a monster in his closet. After nights of shutting his closet door in fear and crawling into bed with weapons at the ready, he decides that he needs to face his nightmare. And Nightmare, it turns out, is a wimpy crybaby!
Mercer Mayer is the creator of the Little Critter series for emerging readers. This is an earlier work but still has several copies available at the library. It’s a good one-on-one read, especially for children who are afraid of monsters that might be lurking in their closets. The text is very simple and easy to read for those who are starting to read independently.
The art style is very distinctive, with a muted color palette that is evocative of a nighttime that is fraught with anxiety. When Nightmare himself appears, he’s more goofy-looking than scary. This can help assuage children’s fears about “nightmares” and that they’re not so scary. Nightmare’s vulnerability is clear from his pleading eyes.
When the boy realizes that Nightmare is actually useless and not scary at all (and is crying so loudly he’s going to wake the boy’s parents), he tucks Nightmare into bed. Here the colors brighten and show that everything is going to be okay; now the boy can sleep!
There’s a Nightmare in My Closet would be a welcome addition to a young child’s home library.
Mercer Mayer is the creator of the Little Critter series for emerging readers. This is an earlier work but still has several copies available at the library. It’s a good one-on-one read, especially for children who are afraid of monsters that might be lurking in their closets. The text is very simple and easy to read for those who are starting to read independently.
The art style is very distinctive, with a muted color palette that is evocative of a nighttime that is fraught with anxiety. When Nightmare himself appears, he’s more goofy-looking than scary. This can help assuage children’s fears about “nightmares” and that they’re not so scary. Nightmare’s vulnerability is clear from his pleading eyes.
When the boy realizes that Nightmare is actually useless and not scary at all (and is crying so loudly he’s going to wake the boy’s parents), he tucks Nightmare into bed. Here the colors brighten and show that everything is going to be okay; now the boy can sleep!
There’s a Nightmare in My Closet would be a welcome addition to a young child’s home library.
November 5, 2012
I read this book it is about a young boy who knows that there is a big, scary nightmare living in his bedroom closet. Each night, before he goes to bed, the boy makes sure that the closet door is shut tight, because if he left it open, the nightmare will emerge to torment him as soon as he turns off the lights. However, one night the boy decides he's tired of hiding under his sheets, and so he sets out to rid his closet of the nightmare once and for all. The book is very colorful and simple to read, I will put this book in shelf. I recommend this book for 4 - 5 years old.
Learning experience:
Discussion: After discussing the good ways to get rid of nightmares, I willask the children to draw out a plan on how to get rid of a monster in a closet with 100% participation. I will ask the children to use drawing paper to illustrate how they would get rid or capture a monster in a closet. The ideas should be creative and nonviolent.
Arts: I will ask the children to use a variety of different shapes and colors of construction paper to create imaginary monsters. Once the students are done they will show their monster to the class and explain where it lives in their home.
February 15, 2012
There's A Nightmare In My Closet by Mercer Mayer is a story about a boy who knows there is a monster in his closet. He becomes brave enough to shoot the monster with his toy gun and quickly realizes as the monster starts crying that the monster is just like him. He tucks the monster into bed and falls asleep with him. However, he declares that the third monster in his closet will just not fit into his bed like the second one. This book brought me back to my childhood memories of being frightened of the monster in the closet. I would hide my face like the boy and try not to peek in case I saw the monster. I would never have been brave enough to face my monster though. I thought this book would be a great one to read to my students and children because it will teach them to overcome their fears and even the biggest monsters have feelings just like us.
July 6, 2017
Alright I cave-in and gave this book an extra star due to the nightmare. He was kind of ugly yet cute enough while completely pitiful towards the end. As the little boy comes to the conclusion - how can you be scared of something that you can make cry.
By this point in re-reading old childhood favorite stories I have noticed that a bunch of the books are from the same author. What a change from authors found in this time while I can understand why it may be hard for parents to find good healthy reading material for young bibliophiles.
The story is basic and one that parents will enjoy reading with their children, especially for those who have unknown beasties lingering in their closets. No time is too late to start helping a child to learn how to face their fears as they start to get older.
By this point in re-reading old childhood favorite stories I have noticed that a bunch of the books are from the same author. What a change from authors found in this time while I can understand why it may be hard for parents to find good healthy reading material for young bibliophiles.
The story is basic and one that parents will enjoy reading with their children, especially for those who have unknown beasties lingering in their closets. No time is too late to start helping a child to learn how to face their fears as they start to get older.
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April 9, 2018Text-to-Self Connection
As a young child I remember my parents reading There's a Nightmare in My Closet to me one night before moving into my own bedroom. I was so afraid that I would have something in my new closet. My mom and dad reassured me there was nothing in my closet. I kept asking them if the nightmare was going to wear my clothes and play with my toys when I was asleep. This is a classic book that I would share with the kids in my own classroom.
As a young child I remember my parents reading There's a Nightmare in My Closet to me one night before moving into my own bedroom. I was so afraid that I would have something in my new closet. My mom and dad reassured me there was nothing in my closet. I kept asking them if the nightmare was going to wear my clothes and play with my toys when I was asleep. This is a classic book that I would share with the kids in my own classroom.
October 3, 2021
The little boys face totally reminds me of Max from Where The Wild Things Are which I love! Easy to follow story and laguage that makes it great for a young reader. The color palette is great and upon looking at the art again after finishing it, the cross-hatch style drawing is also very reminiscent of Maurice Sendak's book. Love i!
May 25, 2020
I liked it because it was funny and the boy was helping the monster even though the monster was trying to scare him. It was funny because the boy said his bed wasn't big enough for two monsters and him, then another monster came
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2024
One of the books from my childhood, recently rediscovered! Hello, old friend.
February 5, 2018
A sweet story about a little boy who is afraid of the nightmare in his closet, but it turns out that the nightmare is afraid of him!
July 11, 2022
Nice, easy read and fun little story.
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