Most fears are rooted in fear of the unknown, so lets make monsters fun in kids fiction

The Monster Under The Bed - 10th Birthday on 31st January 2015

Monsters in children's fiction - what is it that makes people shy away from buying a book about a monster? 

Children like a hint of something scary, read to them in a safe environment, as long as all is well in the end.   ...so go on, buy a copy... I dare you to!

Books about monsters can even help children who are scared of the dark - there are lists of books for just this purpose - and The Monster Under The bed is right up there on the search lists.

Most fears are rooted in fear of the unknown, so making monsters fun goes a long way towards allaying those fears.

  

Monsters in kids' book...

My very first book bares the title The Monster Under The Bed, and is rarely passed by at book signings without some comment...

Everyone it seems has some sort of monster under their bed, be it noisy plumbing or just a shadow that becomes something more with the addition of a little imagination...  but my point is that it brings a smile of recognition to most adult faces, even if they ultimately don't buy the book, for fear of setting up a fear of monsters in their children, or fueling one that is already there..

But surely the fact that they smile as they remember their particular monster, shows that children actually enjoy the idea of monsters, as long as they feel safe throughout. A story about a monster can be quite exciting, and of course we're talking about children's stories here, so we know it's all going to OK in the end. So let's not deny the next generation their fare share of exciting books, with monsters to overcome...

And on that note, my next book has a definite monster theme too... no apologies - kids love it!