There's a Nightmare in My Closet



Last updated Friday, July 30, 2010

Author: Mercer Mayer
Date of Publication: 1968
ISBN: 0803786824
Grade Level: Kindergarten    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Aug. 2010

Synopsis: "Childhood fear of the dark and the resulting exercise in imaginative exaggeration are given that special Mercer Mayer treatment in this dryly humorous fantasy".--School Library Journal.

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  What did you have a dream last night?
•  What is in the boy’s closet?
•  What’s the difference between a dream and a nightmare?

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  Were you ever afraid of the dark?
•  What do you do when you have a nightmare?
•  What’s going to happen to the other nightmare in the closet?

Craft ideas:
•  Layer two pieces of construction paper; on the top layer, draw your room cut a door out and draw a nightmare, or dream inside the closet.

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!