New Flash: Monsters have feelings too! It’s true. They’re actually WAY more afraid of you than you are of them. This week in Explorastory we got to know all those things that go bump in the night a little better and maybe made some new friends along the way.
“The Dark” by Lemony Snicket
Laszlo has long kept The Dark at bay thanks to his trusty nightlight until one night when the bulb burns out and The Dark can finally visit him. However, after sharing a creepy journey to the basement, Laszlo learns The Dark may not be as sinister as he thought.
“There’s a Nightmare in My Closet” by Mercer Mayer
Tired of spending every night in fear of the monster in his closet, a little boy decides to take matters into his own hands. But maybe he should have gotten the whole story first. This Mercer Mayer classic is a great book for teaching kids empathy and why they should never leap to conclusions. Best of all, if you like this one there are two more! I can practically hear all of you saying to your computer screens, “Wait, you mean Mercer Mayer’s spooky stories are a trilogy!? And Nightmare in My Closet is The Fellowship of the Ring!? Sign me up, please!!!” Well, if you click on these links you can do it yourself! (Alligator and Attic)
“Leonardo the Terrible Monster” by Mo Willems
Last, but certainly not least, we met Leonardo the Terrible Monster. Unfortunately for our hero, the title of
“terrible” doesn’t refer to his astounding scaring skills so much as his total lack thereof. When Leonardo decides to change this his research leads him to the most scaredy cat kid in the world, Sam. Will Leonardo succeed in becoming the truly terrifying monster of his dreams or will he learn to be something even better? Read this hilarious story to find out!
As always, we took a couple of reading breaks to dance our wiggles out and learn some new fingerplays. The song “We are Monsters (60’s TV Theme Style) by Mr. Eric and Mr. Michael gave great instructions on how to act like little monsters (“RRRRROOOOOOAAAARRRRRR!!!!!), while R.E.M. and The Muppets showed us that monsters have feelings too with their song, “Furry Happy Monsters”.
Before leaving we all made little monster buddies to bring home with us. Check ’em out!
