On Family Reading: The Pleasure of a Good Scare!

By Julie Douglas, Family Program Specialist It was a dark and stormy night…. One of my fondest childhood memories is being about 10 years old and sitting on the front porch late at night trading creepy, spooky stories with my friends. Just beyond the amber glow of the porch light lurked ghosts and other assorted creatures of the dark. Every neighbor out on an evening stroll who passed by looked suspiciously zombie-like. The phone ringing inside the house was not a call from the other side of town, but from the Other Side. Everywhere we looked there was fodder for a tale of terror. Many of the tales we swapped were of the “urban legend” variety and usually began, “This really happened to my ___(fill in the blank with a relative, neighbor, or friend)." We would all sit knee to knee, clutching hands and barely daring to breathe. The storyteller would unravel the details slooooooooowwwly in a low, solemn voice. The events unfolded and the apprehension grew. Footsteps drew closer; chains rattled; whispering voices beckoned. Descriptions were vivid and over-the-top. Howling wind and diabolical laughter added to the drama. When the tension was almost unbearable, the storyteller would shout out the ending and be rewarded with shrieks and screams. Why do we love a good scary story? Psychologists suggest that when we identify with the protagonist in the story, we can experience triumph over fear. Horror allows us to confront our emotions and safely explore our dark side. Perhaps (gasp!) we even empathize with the monster on some level. Like those who love roller coasters and skydiving, fans of scary movies and stories enjoy the tension, thrills, and sense of relief they experience. Whatever the reason, many adults and children love a good scare. If you happen to be one of them, check out some of the books below. When choosing any book for children, use your own judgment and knowledge of what is appropriate for your child. A child’s age and temperament will determine if a book is right. In this genre especially, there is no “one size fits all.” Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a scratching noise coming from the attic and I need to go investigate. Where did I put that flashlight with the very low battery?

Scary, Scary Halloween by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett (Clarion Books, 1988) Jan Brett's brightly illustrated Halloween costumes and Eve Bunting's wonderfully rhythmic verses pair up for a slightly spooky romp on Halloween. Appropriate for even the youngest audience.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, illustrated by Megan Lloyd (HarperTrophy 1988) Bring this ghostly story to life by using props and sound effects when reading it to children. The little old lady will have listeners joining her in proclaiming, "I'm NOT afraid of you!"

Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Edward R Emberley (LB Kids,1993) Preschoolers will boldly send the monster packing while listening to this imaginative book by Caldecott Award-winner Emberley. Readers are treated to rich descriptions and vocabulary as they are introduced bit by bit to the big green monster.

Shake Dem Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa, illustrated by Mike Reed (Houghton Mifflin, 2000) Children won't be able to sit still for this one…and that’s a good thing! Perfect for an interactive storytime.

Spooky Hour by Tony Mitton, illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees (Orchard 2004) Count on some spooky fun as the monsters make their way to a Halloween party. This not-at-all scary story might be a good way for young children to explore some of the costumes and decorations they will see during the holiday.

Mommy? by Maurice Sendak, Arthur Yorinks, and Matthew Reinhart (Michael di Capua Books / Scholastic, 2006) A small boy shows a houseful of ghoulish characters that he's in charge in this masterfully illustrated, nearly wordless pop-up book. Adults will enjoy the nods to well-known monsters such as Nosferatu and Frankenstein, while children will appreciate the youngster's triumph over them.

Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex (Harcourt Children's Books, 2006) With titles like "The Yeti Doesn't Appreciate Being Called Bigfoot" and "The Invisible Man Gets a Haircut," you know you are in for silly, scary fun with this collection of monster-themed poems. Even the dedications are good for a chuckle.

Oh No, Not Ghosts! by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Adam McCauley (Harcourt Children's Books, 2006) Rhythm, rhyme, and the repetitive phrase "Oh, no, not…" make this a frighteningly fun read aloud.

The Scary States of America by Michael Teitelbaum (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2007) Nine to twelve year olds are the target audience for this creepy collection of paranormal stories from each state, but younger listeners will enjoy them as well.

In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz and Dirk Zimmer. (HarperTrophy, 1985) Future fans of Stephen King can cut their teeth on the stories in this collection. Wonderfully creepy…but it would be prudent to preview them first before sharing with kids.

Podcasting History

Two months ago I attended an exciting training program for "Border War" history organizations in Missouri and Kansas. The program took place at the Cass County Library, and the computer room was packed with people from twenty organizations. The organizations are all learning how to conduct good oral history interviews and to produce podcasts.

A podcast is a short package of audio or video content that you record and make available for playback on a computer or miniature playback device such as an iPod. You make it available by putting it on a web site.

A good place to look for a youth-oriented style of podcasting is the Kansas Historical Society. They have a good podcasting operation there, and a great overall web site. Listen to Episode 25, "Civil Defense Food Kit," in their "Cool Things" section to see how one of their better ones comes across.

There's a different approach to podcasting at Biltmore in North Carolina. Listen to episode 19, on the wedding of George and Edith Vanderbilt. To my ear, the choice of a "local news broadcaster" sound for the introduction is a jarring contrast to the more natural speaking style of the voices who narrate the real content. This "broadcast style" is something people learn for an industry that values sameness, like the unvarying flavor of a McDonald's french fry. "Sameness" is the last thing I would want in an interpretive program that seeks to highlight distinctive features of a place. If I were running that outreach program, I'd seek a voice that does not belong on a local news TV set. It's something to consider if you're doing this for a historical society. Where there are distinctive voices and cadences, please use them! In a podcast, which is a very intimate medium, like radio, sound is a message unto itself. Find voices that sound at ease, pleasant to hear, natural in delivery.

Here's a distinctive and pleasing local voice from Cass County, Missouri. It's Carol Bohl in her first podcast from the Border War Network. Be warned, this link currently goes to a demo web site, and the "subscribe" link doesn't work yet, though I think everything will work properly by the end of November. Carol is the first person in the Border War Network to own and operate an iPod.

The other thing about podcasting is that the most important art form in the process is the art of storytelling. Especially if you're only using audio, your opportunity to create interest is in how you shape what you have to say. Always look for an opportunity to pose an intriguing question.

Speaking of questions, if you're interviewing someone, it's a very good idea to plan your questions. Naturally, if you think of something during the interview, ask! One podcster to watch closely is Eric Langhorst, an 8th Grade History teacher in Liberty, Missouri. I understand that he is going to produce podcasts next month in association with Ken Burns' TV documentary, "The War." Eric told me about a PDF document on the web site of that series. It explains how to conduct oral history interviews of World War II veterans. You can apply the lessons in that document across the board, I think. Its title is, The Power of Story.

Sac and Fox Exhibit Goes to D.C.

The touring exhibit on Sac and Fox heritage is on display at Van Meter State Park through the end of November. Then it comes back for refurbishment and returns in January for more touring. It easily fits into small spaces in libraries or local museums, and it has its own lighting. Space required is ten linear feet. Set-up and take-down is a snap. Contact Michael Bouman for booking information in 2008. We have one new copy for touring in Missouri starting in January. We will have two copies available after March, when copy 2 returns from a three month engagement at the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institution. Congratulations to Sac and Fox Historic Preservation Officer, Sandra Massey, to Greg Olson (Missouri State Archives), who designed the exhibit, and to Dr. Fred Fausz at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who helped with the research.

"Consulting Days" at Museums

Are you confused by the term, "charette?" Are you worried that outside consultants will say things that will make you feel bad? These are the usual obstacles to asking about our free consulting service for local museums and cultural institutions. We schedule these "consulting days" on a rolling basis with no deadlines, and we have a great record of helping people see more of their own potential and take immediate steps toward upgrades in the way they operate. The 2008 calendar is open, and I await your call. Information is on our web site.

Prijedor: Lives From the Bosnian Genocide

More than 40,000 people from Bosnia now call St. Louis their home. For the past year the community leaders have been developing an exhibit titled, "Prijedor: Lives From the Bosnian Genocide." Their approach is to help people understand this sort of calamity as a collection of individual stories, with faces and names and memories. A series of community meetings is under way this fall to engage the Bosnian community in the interpretation of their shared story. The final two are on Sunday afternoons at 3:00 pm at Grbic Restaurant (4071 Keokuk, St. Louis, (314) 772-3100) on October 28 and November 11.

The new multi-media exhibit opens on Sunday, November 25, 2007 with a 2:00 pm program and reception at the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center (12 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis). The exhibit opening program will feature a keynote address by award-winning British journalist Ed Vulliamy (author of Seasons in Hell: Understanding Bosnia's War), one of the first reporters to uncover the network of concentration camps in the Prijedor area in 1992.

The Prijedor exhibit is a unique community collaboration among Bosnians from Prijedor, the Holocaust Museum staff, and students and faculty from Fontbonne University who recorded video interviews with local Prijedor survivors as part of a recent course on the Bosnian immigration. A small research team traveled to Prijedor this summer to gather exhibit materials and conduct additional interviews.

Smithsonian "New Harmonies" Touring Exhibit

We're now accepting applications through December to host the touring Smithsonian exhibit on American Roots Music in 2009. These exhibits are a perennial feature of MHC programming because they help local people generate a huge amount of interest in a historical theme. It is always true that far more people visit the exhibit and its activities than actually live in the sponsoring town. More...

Governor's Humanities Awardees 2007

On October 10 over a hundred people came to the Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City to celebrate the achievements of people who earned the 2007 Humanities Awards. Details of the recipients are now on our web site.

Missouri Humanities Council's 2007 Governor's Humanities Awards photoset on flickr.com

Baby Steps

My October 19 blog at "creatinginterest.blogspot.com" is about climbing life's mountains one small step at a time.