There's a Nightmare in My Closet

It's "Patton" for children. No really, it is! Having just finished reviewing "Swimmy", the 1963 predecessor to "Finding Nemo", it seems fitting that I should also review "There's a Nightmare In My Closet", the 1968 predecessor to "Monsters, Inc." Looking like nothing so much as an alternative, "Where the Wild Things Are", Mercer Mayer's late 60s concoction is a tale of how a small boy stands up to his fears and finds them not to be as scary as he had thought.Told in the first person, the story tells how a young boy, outfitted in those cute footie pajamas with the flap in the back, used to be scared of the nightmare in his closet before going to bed. Each night the boy would close the closet door then hide under his sheets. That all changes the night the boy pops on his general's helmet and outfits himself with a toy canon, toy soldiers, and a pop gun to rid himself of his nightmare once and for all. Sure enough, when the lights are out the monster comes creeping and perches on the foot of the bed but the boy is ready. He threatens it to leave and when he shoots his pop gun the nightmare bursts into tears. It's really a pitiful sight. Relenting, the boy tucks the monster in his bed, closes the closet door, and snuggles down to share the bed with his nightmare. As the boy ends the tale with, "I suppose there's another nightmare in my closet, but my bed's not big enough for three", sure enough, another monster sticks out his head and smiles winningly at the reader whilst the two others sleep blissfully. When you think of all the mediocre monster books out there, this story really is remarkable. Compare this book to "Go Away, Big Green Monster", for example. There's just no comparison. And for its 1968 publication date, the story really feels very contemporary. The adept pen and ink illustrations combine successfully with the no-nonsense tone of the narration to produce a real class act. The boy in the pictures really does resemble All in all, this is just a nice story about confronting your fears and finding that sometimes they're not as bad as you think. You have to love the illustrations as well. The single shot of the nightmare tucked in the bed gesturing worriedly at the open closet door is so very sad. Any child that's a fan of the aforementioned "Monsters, Inc." will love this story as well. A sweet tale with a lovely moral. I just can't recommend it enough.

When I was a young child, I remember my mother reading this book to me, and when my oldest daughter, then age 2 1/2, started having nightmares about "dragons" coming into her room and scaring her, I bought this book for her. "There's a nightmare in my closet" quickly became her favorite bedtime story, which was requested at least once a day, for well over a year. Now that I have another 3 yr old, she too loves the story, and is learning to "read" it from memory. "There's a nightmare in my closet" tells a story, from the perspective of a young boy, of how a child confronts his fears and learns that they might not be as scary as he once thought. After reading this book to my daughter a few times, her nightmares became much less frequent, and she seemed much more able to handle the few she got.Since young children always have, and always will be, afraid of something in the night, this book will never become old fashioned. I recommend it to anyone with young children.

This book deals with young children's fears in a way few do. Mayer displays an understanding of children that is remarkable, especially here. While I realize it is popular now days to pan any reference to weapons or violence, such references in this particular book are purely metaphorical, and it isn't all that difficult to explain that to children. Attacking your fears is a positive thing, not negative. As a children's librarian who has used this book for hundreds and hundreds of young children who consistently find it delightful, I highly recommend it.

I loved this book so much, because there were scary monsters in this book. It made me change the way I feel about nightmares. Now I'm not afraid. This is the first book I've read by myself. Zane age 5

My child absolutely loves this book! I have never been more pleased with a children's bedtime story. The illustrations are fantastic as well as the little boys approach to nightmares. I highly recommend "There's a Nightmare in My Closet," to parents that have a little one with night-time worries. Don't let this jewel of a story pass you by!!!