We are so excited to have Ashlee Ridlon join us today to share information about Scary Picture Books!
I’m Ashlee, aka, Author Ash. I’m a children’s book author of many fun, interactive and engaging picture books! As a former kindergarten teacher, who continues to teach part time in my town’s elementary school, I love to combine my love for literacy and children through writing stories that both touch on important topics in childhood and are FUN!
I live in Southern Maine with my husband, Nate, and two children, Josh and Avery. I also live with my four cats and dog, Ruby! My love for children’s literature started early through my Mother, who is also an educator. I remember the magic of read-alouds and the creativity it sparked. I then shared that passion with my own children and later, students. Through my books, I hope to share the magic, creativity and FUN of children’s literature with others.
As a person who is fascinated by the supernatural and all things that go bump in the night, I knew that I wanted to write a “scary” story for those who love a spooky tale! Think back to the Halloween picture books your teachers or parents read to you as a child. The dark illustrations, the anticipation of trick or treating, the thrill of a good scare. I wanted to capture that all, but with a twist.
As a teacher, I have first hand experience with different genres of children’s books and how my students react to them. And although they have sat mesmerized by beautiful books, books that taught them life lessons and a chapter from our class book, what really got their attention was humor! Add interaction and you have them hooked!
That was my challenge: write a scary story for children aged 2-8 that encompasses humor and make it interactive. The silliness of the “scary” story brings down the fear level and makes it more approachable to young children. The interactive features keep them engaged. Easy enough, right? Wouldn’t it be great if it always was?
For all my books, I always start with research. Which books in this genre speak to me? What do I like about these types of books? The illustrations, storylines, prose or rhyming? Learning what you like and will be interested in should be the first step in your writing process. Look online, but better yet, get your hands on these stories. For me, it was easy! I work in an elementary school, but a library works too!
Then I outline. Who will be the characters (my daughter helped me decide on a “chicken” as my main character.....get it?), what will be the main events in the story, how will it end? I find having an outline a vital part in the writing process. It’s where I organize my thoughts and it helps me not get lost down rabbit holes while I write the actual story.
I chose to make one of the problems in the story unique, as I set it up to be a challenge to the readers. Can they be brave enough to read this book and hear this spooky story? Or will they be too scared and prove Chicken right? Setting up a type of dare to the readers, especially with anything deemed “scary” is a great way to increase engagement. They want to prove they are brave! Thus, my title, This Book is TOO Scary For You!
I then decided to follow the lead of other great interactive and silly books, such as When I Say Ooh, You Say Ahh by John Kane and ask the readers to do and say something when they see different characters. I did this in my story, when different scary characters appeared. Bam! I found my interactive feature!
I added humor to the story through the main character, Chicken. During the story as he is telling the children his “scary” tale and ghosts, bats, jack-o-lanterns and more are popping up, he is not seeing them. Instead, he believes that the readers are making it up to make him STOP scaring them. The redemption for the readers comes at the end when Chicken finally sees the scary creatures and deems that “This story may not be TOO scary for them, but it is for him!”. The readers feel brave and it adds the last touch of silliness to the story.
Adding humor and interactive features to your scary stories for young children can make being “scared” fun! For older children, you can crank the scariness level up but keeping humor will help readers stay engaged so the “fear factor” isn’t overdone.
Happy writing!
Thanks so much for joining us, Author Ash!
You can find Ash on her website at authorash.com, Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorash1012, and Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ashlee-Ridlon/author/B0C1P5Y393.