When my youngest daughter was just a baby, I picked up a book at a garage sale. The book was entitled, “In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories,” and was a compilation of short and spooky folk tales and poems for kids. My older kids read it to her, and when she was just three years old she had her favorite poem from the book completely memorized, word for word. That Halloween, right after she turned four, she told the story over and over, to anyone who would listen, delighting in making them jump when she yelled the spooky ending.
Why kids love spooky poems
As a mom and a homeschooler, I have noticed that not all poems are created equal where kids are concerned. Of course, I think I knew that even as a kid. If you had asked me in elementary school to name my favorite poem, it would have likely been “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe. By high school, I’d begun to favor the work of Robert Frost, but even he wrote poems like “Ghost House” and my favorite, “Mending Wall,” which is about an unseen force that does not like a wall. Even William Shakespeare enjoyed flirting with the macabre.
Anyone who remembers the primary readers from long ago would find my daughter’s favorite poem very familiar. There are lots of repeating words, a consistent repetition of rhythm and sound. There is also a logical progression from big to small, which makes sense to a child. She can envision the progression of the poem from outdoors to in, from wide open surroundings to smaller, closer ones.
As such, she tells the story correctly every time. She is able to toss out the final twist like a pro, often catching first time listeners off guard and getting an actual startled reaction. Of course, she always delights in the scare, and in the praise that she gets from a story well told. This positive reinforcement makes her eager to learn more stories and poems, and to share those as well.
Perfection is not necessary
With spooky poems and stories, especially those taken from old folk tales of authors unknown, perfection in the telling is not necessary. Style and logical progression matter most of all. This makes learning and sharing scary folk poems a bit easier for kids, since their version is just as legitimate as anyone else’s. Not so with poetry by a famous author. Here is the version of the poem my daughter prefers to tell. It’s not exactly like any other version I’ve read, but it’s hers and we love to hear her tell it. We hope you enjoy it, too.
In a Dark, Dark Room
In a dark, dark wood, there is a dark, dark house.
And in the dark, dark house, there is a dark, dark room.
And in the dark, dark room, there is a dark, dark cabinet.
And in the dark, dark cabinet, there is a dark, dark shelf.
And on the dark, dark shelf, there is a dark, dark box.
And in the dark, dark box…
There is a GHOST!
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Is Halloween Too Frightening for Your Little Ghoul?
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