Nightmare Jones – Perfect MG Picture Book Friday

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As you might guess from the cover of NIGHTMARE JONES, this picture book of poems is not for the toddler or early elementary school reader. Middle grade readers and older who love scary stories or thought-provoking poetry will find lots to love here. These poems are uncanny, in its truest sense: strange and mysterious in an unsettling way. The feeling brought on by the unblinking eyes of a lifelike doll. Are they alive? Peering into your soul? Do they know truths about you that you have never admitted to yourself?

And it’s not just the poems. Cindy Derby’s eery artwork is the perfect complement to the uncanny sense elicited by Shannon Bramer’s text. Derby’s powerful paintings meet these poems in their element, the shadowy, not-quite-in-focus thoughts we all have when we’re left to ponder. The fears. The strange. And, yes, the sadness.

On the first spread, I’m arrested by this image of a zombie, looking like he left a shoe in the grave he just stumbled out of, bits of twigs and stems protruding from his corpse. And that bold bit of blood on his shoe. Hm. Turns out, his name is Nightmare Jones. Shiverchills!

Nightmare Jones has come to town

with a bit of blood on his shoe

a green drip in his nose

a twist of stick

in his yellow teeth…

The specificity of “bit of blood,” “green drip,” “twist of stick,” and “yellow teeth” brings his image to life. And the assonance and consonance make these lines a joy to read out loud. I can imagine middle schoolers sitting around a campfire at night, sharing these poems instead of telling scary stories. Or reading them by flashlight in a darkened room at a sleepover as they try to scare each other silly.

But there’s much more than the scare factor at work here. In “The Eyes of the Wise,” the narrator speaks to the reader, saying “you want/to do everything yourself; you/don’t want any help with any/of your problems, so the eyes/of the wise”—that can be found at the bottom of “the sewer/or the well or the pit or the lake…stare up at you…” Those knowing eyes. Yes, they know better. Those “eyes will always/live down there, inside you.” Full stop. Think about that. Let those wise eyes guide you to seek out the help you need when you need it.

A couple of poems include the strangeness of lost teeth, or of seeing a single abandoned shoe. What may their loss symbolize? Why might it make you feel uncomfortable? A witch’s garden, worms, spiders, dollhouses, mirrors, moons, monsters, etc., all make appearances in these poems to great effect.

A paired set of poems, one titled “Sorry” and the other “pain had eyes” refer to absence or loss, to not being able to “have” what you want or to suddenly losing someone who was part of your life.

Other sadnesses, like Persephone’s, come with a full course menu of what’s being served at her restaurant. What would “Melancholy Mushroom Soup with Sage and Dragonsblood Syrup” taste like? If the reader doesn’t know who Persephone is, what can they glean about her from the menu?

There is also friendship sadness, the loss as a relationship dissolves. The one who’s growing up, supposedly leaving her childhood interests behind, makes fun of her friend who isn’t changing. But the friend being left behind doesn’t shrink under the glare of judgment. Instead she says “enough already” and turns the table of power. Many kids who’ve had this experience will welcome this defiant, strong perspective. You don’t have to buy into feeling less than for liking what you like, for being your own person. Stick to your interests, for they are “gemstones” in your pockets.

And now, skipping to the closing image/poem of the book, one that alludes to how these thoughts creep up on us.

The sadness often hits during the crepuscular hours, while Badlonely waits for Nightmare Jones to show his yellow teeth. Badlonely’s

being quiet

thinking it all through, just like you

asked them to.

How many of us recognize ourselves, and some of our thoughts, in these quiet, Badlonely moments? There are so many undercurrents coursing through this book, it’s thrilling! As is often the case with horror, it helps us identify and face our fears, our sadness or loneliness and loss, and helps us understand that others feel these emotions, too. We can sit with these feelings. Pull through. We don’t have to go through life alone. Those wise eyes inside ourselves know the truth.

This stunning book of poetry releases October 7th! You still have time to pre-order!

Activities:

Think of things that you’re afraid of, like spiders, eyeballs, clowns, etc. Make a list poem, and end it (like the poem “Broken Eggs”) with something one wouldn’t normally associate with fear. But when you think about it’s deeper meaning, the horror becomes palpable.

Now that you have a list of things you’re afraid of (should be nouns), think of five adjectives that describe each in an unsettling way. Now write a poem about one or more of these things without naming it/them in the poem. If someone reads the poem, would they be able to figure out what you’re afraid of? Would they find those things creepy or unsettling, too? Then think of a fear that’s not a thing, but something that might happen. Losing a friend, a family member, giving a dreaded speech, etc. Think of adjectives/metaphors that describe them, and then write a poem that doesn’t name the fear, but alludes to it through the imagery used.

Think about a time you’ve been sad. Without naming the reason why you were sad, make a watercolor/chalk/colored pencil/marker drawing or painting that depicts the feeling.

Write a poem about a time that a friend made you feel embarrassed for liking something that they no longer liked. That they now think is babyish or silly. Include a response that shows how the one supposedly being left behind is turning the tables of power.

Title: Nightmare Jones: poems

Author: Shannon Bramer

Illustrator: Cindy Derby

Publisher: Groundwood Books, 2025

Themes: fear, loneliness, sadness

Ages: Middle grade readers on up

For more perfect picture book recommendations, please visit Susanna Hill’s website.