posted on 31 Oct 2022

Scared?  by Neal Zetter and Joshua Seigal, illustrated by Zoe Williams

I very much enjoyed an earlier publication by Neal Zetter and so I looked forward to settling down (or being unsettled given the subject) with this one because he’s joined here by fellow-poet, Joshua Seigal. 

All of the poems by these two award winning authors have their particular charms. They cover a wide range of familiar and not so familiar scary subjects including vampires, clowns, snakes, bullies, divorce, sadness, cats and carbon footprints and many are wittily illustrated by Zoe Williams, a recent graduate from Bath Spa University whose drawings add to the atmosphere. 

Although some poems are very light hearted, the authors are also encouraging readers to think deeply about what it means to be scared and why. Here are a few of my favourites:

‘Haunted House’ by Zetter explores a classic spooky theme  and provides a perfect opportunity for audience participation with the simple rhymes. I can imagine the volume increasing as we reach the final verse:

‘Now a storm cloud is erupting with a

Crack! Crack! CRACK!

So I’m leaving in a hurry won’t be

Back! Back! BACK’!

‘The Orange Table’ by Seigal is a poignant reflection by a pupil who understands that he has been treated badly and negatively categorised at school:

‘I sit on the Orange Table.

They say that this is best.

But they can’t see the orange fire

That burns inside my chest’.    

 ‘Exclamation Mark’ by Zetter is a very clever way to explore the purpose of punctation and why this powerful symbol is so very useful in conveying mood and emphasis.

The truly terrifying ‘Lullaby ‘by Seigal at the end of the curious collection is on a black background – did this help to make it extra scary I wonder? It returns to the tried and tested themes of unexplained shadowy faces, fingers and strange voices in the dark that all sensitive children fear at bedtime.    

I will be recommending this unusual and entertaining compilation to readers who love being scared silly and who enjoy thinking about the many dimensions of fear.  Hopefully some will be inspired to have a go at writing their own poems to explain their feelings.

Karen Argent

November 2022