Product Description

Having been warned not to open the door for anyone while Mom goes to help a neighbor, the three boys try to outdo each other by telling scary stories about strangers at the door. By the time they have finished, they have scared themselves under the bed. Stories in this book come from Bohemia, the Guyanas, and Peru and are based on the universal theme of not opening the door to strangers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #316501 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-13
• Released on: 2007-02-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 56 pages

From School Library Journal
Gr 2-3-Three boys at a sleepover decide to tell scary stories. The first one tells about two parents who leave their young child home alone all night while they go out. They tell her not to open the door to anyone because it might be a goblin that will eat her. The second boy's story is similar to "Hansel and Gretel." The third tale involves a witch. All three selections are ridiculous and not even scary, and the black-and-white ink drawings are poorly executed. The afterword explains that many cultures have tales about not opening doors to strangers, and gives the origins of the tales offered here. Close the door on this one.

Karen Scott, Valley Intermediate School, Pelham, AL

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 2-3. This is a bit of a jumble, but new readers may find that the slight spookiness of the stories has appeal. The narrator is hosting a sleepover, and his mother leaves with the words, "Don't open the door!" Leon starts the evening with a story about a girl who finds that a goblin is masquerading as her best friend. The narrator follows with a story about three wooden dolls that steal a boy and fatten him up. Then Marcos tells about a girl trapped in Evil Rocks. The frightening ending is interrupted by the narrator's mother, who is locked out and needs someone to open the door. Or is it a goblin? The theme of not opening the door works well throughout the book, but the tales, from the Guyanas, Bohemia, and Peru, are thinly told. They are extended by the ink illustrations, but kids may be puzzled about the various locales in which the pictures are set. An ending note gives some editorial facts but leaves questions. Where, kids may wonder, is Bohemia? Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Veronika Martenova Charles is an award-winning author and illustrator whose books include: Maiden of the Mist: A Legend of Niagara Falls; Stretch, Swallow, & Stare; The Crane Girl; and The Birdman. Veronika has studied at Ryerson University, the Ontario College or Art and Design, and recently completed her graduate studies in Folklore at York University. Veronika Martenova Charles lives in Toronto.

David Parkins is the award-winning illustrator of over fifty children’s books. He began his career at Dyfed College of Art in Wales, studying wildlife illustration. He then went to Lincoln College of Art for three years, and has been a freelance illustrator since his graduation in 1979. He spent several years at the beginning of his career producing illustrations for educational publishers, and has earned most of his keep drawing for the British cartoon, The Beano. David Parkins lives in England with his wife and daughter.