Arrow Book of Spooky Stories
Editor: Edna Mitchell Preston
This book was published in 1961 and is definitely out of print. Used copies are available online. I opted to use OpenLibrary to read this book so I could review it. Amazon has listings for used paperback copies at normal prices, but be careful to avoid listings from "collectors'' who try to charge ridiculous prices.
I love spooky short story collections that feature new-to-me storytellers, especially vintage ones with illustrations. The cover first attracted my attention. The artwork by Erwin Hoffman is awesome! There are also illustrations for each story as well. Love it!
Stories include:
Horace the Happy Ghost by Elizabeth Ireland. Very cute story about a ghost who can't moan or clank correctly, which annoys his parents. I tried to find more information on this author, but came up blank. My research just pulled up this story and a re-release of the story as "How Horace Learned to Moan" in 1977. Enjoyable tale of how a ghost learned how to ghost better...in a cute way.
Never Mind Them Watermelons by Maria Leach. Very short, but cute story! Maria Leach was an American writer best known for writing and editing books on folklore from around the world.
The Tinker and the Ghost by Ralph S. Boggs & Mary Gould Davis. Boggs is famous for his writings on folklore. Mary Gould Davis was a librarian, author/editor, publishing mostly story collections for children. This is a great story - so entertaining to read!
The Lucky Man by Maria Leach. Another short selection with a cute conclusion!
The Stubbornest Man in Maine by Moritz Jagendorf. Bill Greenleaf was stubborn -- alive or dead! Wonderful story! Moritz Jagendorf was an Austrian-American folklorist who wrote stories and plays for children based on American, European and Asian folklore.
Here We Go by Maria Leach. A cute story about a boggart. Longer than her other offerings in this collection, this tale of a family's woes caused by a mischievous spirit is my favorite in this collection!
The Friendly Ghost by Elizabeth Yates. A girl visits relatives for her first trip away from home and gets a
The Dancing Jug by Lupe De Osma. Spooky story about a miserly man who pays a price for his love of money. Lupe De Osma was famous for sharing folklore and stories from Costa Rica.
The Strange Visitor by Joseph Jacobs. I have heard variations of this story many times. This version was fun to read! Joseph Jacobs is known for writing folklore and fairy tales.
A Shiver of Ghosts by Cyril Birch. Birch is famous for writing about and teaching about Chinese literature, myths and folklore. This selection is 3 Chinese ghost stories. All 3 are varied: A man tricks a ghost at the marketplace, a very strong man takes on the chore of ridding a rich man's house of a spirit, and a friend allows a visitor to sleep in his haunted library. Loved all 3 stories!
The Ghostly Fishermen by Natalie Savage Carlson. Carlson is known for writing many children's books. This story is a French Canadian ghost tale about a ghostly fisherman.
I enjoyed every single story in this collection! The fact that all of the writers are well known for writing and teaching about folklore or literature for children makes this an excellent grouping of spooky/unusual tales for kids (and adults, too!).
I love the fact there are avenues to read some of these long out of print Scholastic, Weekly Reader, and other great books for children. It brings back memories of those awesome days when I got to order books at school and bring home a stack of stories like this to enjoy! School book orders really started my love of books and reading!! I think that is why I still love reading these books, either online or when I come across lucky thrift shop/used book shop finds!
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