Introduction: Where Fear Meets Wonder
If you’ve ever watched a child stare into the dark with wide eyes—half terrified, half enchanted—then Nightmare Jones will feel like a mirror to their soul. Shannon Bramer doesn’t just write poems; she conjures emotional landscapes where shadows speak, monsters mourn, and the misunderstood finally get their moment.
This isn’t a book that tiptoes around fear. It embraces it. It lets kids name it, dance with it, and maybe even laugh at it. And for educators like me, who believe that poetry should stir something deep and true, Nightmare Jones is a revelation.
The Poems: Strange, Tender, and Unapologetically Weird
Each poem in Nightmare Jones is a little rebellion against the idea that kids need everything sugar-coated. Bramer trusts her readers to handle complexity. Her verses are eerie, yes—but also tender, funny, and achingly honest.
– A boy with a drawer full of teeth.
– A witch’s garden that blooms with secrets.
– A spider who spins webs of memory.
These aren’t just spooky snapshots. They’re emotional riddles that invite kids to decode their own feelings. The language is lyrical but never lofty—accessible enough for a Grade 6 reader, layered enough for a classroom discussion that goes beyond “What rhymes with moon?”
Classroom Connections: Teaching Through the Shadows
This book is a dream (or nightmare?) for educators who want to teach emotional literacy alongside poetic devices. Use “The Truth About Worms” to explore empathy. Let “Four Seasons in a Witch’s Garden” inspire metaphor hunts. Or challenge students to write their own misunderstood monster poems—because sometimes, the scariest things are just waiting to be understood.
Pair the poems with visual art, drama, or even a “Fear Journal” where students reflect on what gives them goosebumps and why. Bramer’s work opens the door to conversations about grief, anxiety, and imagination—all through the safe lens of metaphor.
The Visuals: Cindy Derby’s Art as Emotional Echo
Cindy Derby’s illustrations don’t just complement the poems—they amplify them. Her charcoal and watercolour palette feels like fog rolling in on a fall morning. Each image is a whisper, a warning, a wink. It’s visual poetry that invites readers to linger, to wonder, to feel.
Conclusion: A Book That Trusts Kids to Be Brave
Nightmare Jones is more than a poetry collection. It’s a permission slip—for kids to feel deeply, to explore the eerie, and to find beauty in the bizarre. Shannon Bramer has written something rare: a book that respects the emotional intelligence of children while challenging them to stretch it.
For parents, teachers, and anyone who believes that poetry should provoke as much as it soothes, this book belongs on your shelf. And for the brave young readers who open its pages? It might just change the way they see the dark.
Until next time…Happy Parenting!
~ Momma Braga
*Please note that this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are our own.
