Did you have a vivid imagination as a child, and see all sorts of things in the dark? I certainly did, I was convinced something lurked under the bed at one time and that wolves were waiting to eat me once they’d jumped over our neighbours fence. I can see Monkey’s imagination running wild too, and I’ve found a lovely book which hopefully will help calm his fears. Small Blue and the Deep Dark Night is written and illustrated by Jon Davis and published through Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Jon Davis has illustrated over 40 books covering various genre and Small Blue and the Deep Dark Night is the first book he has also written. We meet Small Blue who has a very vivid imagination and is rather scared of the dark. She imagines all kind of nasty creatures are waiting for her when she wakes up in the night.
Her friend Big Brown is there to comfort her, and he has a lovely way of challenging Small Blue’s ideas. Every time Small Blue imagines something scary, Big Brown suggests that perhaps what she thinks she’s seeing might actually be something nice and friendly instead.
Then of course, when Big Brown turns on the lights, there’s nothing there to be worried about at all.
I don’t want to spoil the end of the story, but it’s absolutely charming and had my nearly 6-year-old Monkey mesmerised. All I will say is that it involves the moon and the stars.
Monkey loved the story, and I loved the message behind Small Blue and the Deep Dark Night. It’s a really nice read and we can thoroughly recommend it. I’ve included my Amazon Affiliate link for the hardback book for you below.
disclaimer: we were sent this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Jon Davis has kindly offered me the chance to give my readers the opportunity to win a copy of Small Blue and the Deep Dark Night for themselves. Just complete the Gleam form below for your chance to win – good luck!
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Terms and conditions:
(Please note that all entries will be checked against comments for validation).
Only the first step of this form is mandatory, all other steps are optional. Only one entry per person is allowed.
This giveaway is for UK residents only.
Once a winner is randomly picked, I will check if the winner has done what was requested and I will contact them, if they do not reply within one week, the prize will be allocated to another person.
The giveaway will close on 14th October 2015 at midnight.
I used to have nightmares about Grotbags the witch following me x
I had night mares about the bogey man – I imagined him to be a green blob an I used to check under my bed every night before I went to bed!
i couldn’t have my arms or legs hanging over the side of the bed or something would get me and pull me under
It was the skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts for me!
I didnt really!
no, not at all.
I remember one really bad time when my cousins told me there was a monster outside the window – i freaked out when they made me look and I saw it……it was a tree!
i didn’t really have any
I didn’t but my sister used to dream of scary monsters and wake up in the night
not at all
I don’t really remember
No but I used to have a nightmare about a giant cyclops!
bogy man
For a while I kept thinking about something under my bed but didn’t imagine any details…
For some reason I used to be terrified there were giant cows in my room at night!
the bogey man
yes, mostly ghosts but was easily scared anyway
Yes, a witch that lifted up my quilt at the bottom to tickle my toes!
Yes, the doors were really creaky where we lived and I always used to be petrified to go to bed fearing there was a big green monster coming to get me!
No, i dont think so.
I was scared that there were Raptors under my bed (from Jurassic Park). My dad would tell me that I didn’t need to worry as they were too big, but it didn’t work… They could be baby raptors!!
No i don’t think so.
No,I never did.
I didnt used to imagine monsters.
I imagined big hairy monsters and sometimes aliens too
Trolls were mine
I imagined monsters in the wardrobe but I can’t really remember what they were like.
Yes all the time and they were big and scary and lived in the wardrobe.
I used to think there were woodland animals under my bed, like deers and wolves.
yes i thought they lived in my cupboard xx
I use to think my dressing gown in the dark on the back of the door was a monster!
I don’t think I did imagine monsters, though I do remember a really scary nightmare ones. About those bloodstones from Dr Who.
no monsters, but there was an elderly ghost who talked to me. My dad saw her too, so i’m not quite sure I was imagining it!
luckly no I loved the dark x
The shark from jaws! But my imaginary friend, Monty, always protected me 🙂
no I was scared of things coming out of the toilet though
I used to have nightmares about Edward scissor hands!
I used to dream that I was being chased by a dragon! And I always thought a witch lived in the downstairs loo!!!
Dead body in the mattress, believe me, that was a nightmare.
Mines were always witches for some reason x
I had a big fear for gremlins.
I was always snakes – I still hate snakes now
I used to imagine a monster at my bedroom window. There was a branch that used to scratch it in he wind!
I used to think a witch used to jam in the corner of my room
An imaginary friend named Gemma. I used to dislike my name as it wasn’t a popular name and names my friend Gemma with the intention of swapping names! (The mind boggles!)
Unfortunately no, I never did
My dressing gown hanging on my bedroom door used to freak me out in the dark!
Very big hairy ones
Not really, but I hated the cupboard door open in case something came out
Yes there was a big green one that lived under the bed, but it’s ok, he was friendly!
I used to have nightmares that I was being chased by the Monster Munch Monsters!
I was convince there was one in the airing cupboard – I’d run very fast!
I was more afraid of ghosts… and i always thought there was a monster in my grandmas bed when i stayed over there… it had them drawers underneath.
I di & I don’t know what they looked like as I was too scared to look under the bed!
It wasn’t monsters as such but I was convinced that something lived under my bed & would never have my feet sticking out
I used to be scared that Freddy Kreuger was in my room
I always thought there was a woman coming into my bedroom at night. Not my Mum or sister but someone I had never seen before. Now KNOW our house is haunted (one night “whatever it is” got into bed with me and my door was closed and it definitely wasn’t the dog and I hadn’t been asleep as my programme I had been watching had only finished 5 minutes ago – wasn’t scary – unless you call Match Of The Day scary). Also my niece (who we have never spoken to about ghosts in our house) has claimed that she’s seen a woman stood by our room window (before we said anything to her).
We had a walk in cupboard at the end of our bedroom and I was always scared that there was monsters in there :\
None that I can recall
I truly don’t remember having monster issues, but I think my sister definitely used to see things because she would run into my room and be still asleep but with her eyes open and terrified!!
I was very scared of an imaginary witch that lived in my closet as a young child, I remember it well!
I can’t really ever remember doing so!
Luckily for me i don’t ever recall that.x
Gremlins in the wardrobe
NO
yep all my dolls were evil clowns :/
I didn’t have the best childhood. My dad made me watch things I shouldn’t to ‘toughen me up’ but I think it was because he wanted to watch whatever , regardless of wether my brother or me were there. I remember being scared stiff after watching puppet master. i thought the one with the drill head would drill from under my bed right through me. That was recurring for quite some time
Mine was more of a giant. I thought he was going to reach in my bedroom window, pick me up and put me in his sack! 🙁
I was convinced there was something under my bed and something would get me if i left the cupboard door open
I cant remember about monsters but I can remember about leaving a leg or arm out the blanket and thinking something might grab me lol. I still think that today as an adult! haha 🙂
It was so long ago i honestly dont remember, but i sure i did like most kids!
I didn’t imagine monsters, I had an imaginary friend!
A small green goblin that steels your breath I used to sleep with my head under the blanket
For some reason I used to dream about a Santa with bright red eyes, no idea why or what he wanted
Sometimes I used to think monsters were in my room but it was usually just the sillouettes of my teddy bears and dolls…which I had far too many of 😉
No never
No, that’s one thing that passed my by thankfully. I did have an imaginary friend though! xD
no never
No never but grandson thinks I’ve been abducted by aliens before anyway (crazy)
nope to monsters but i used to thin there was a bad man under my bed and he had a knife took me years to get over it
i thought i had monsters under my bed.
I didn’t guess i’m lucky 🙂
I used to dream about men dressed in black, along with snakes, flying through my bedroom. It was terryfying but I told no-one.
I always used to make my mum check under my bed and in the wardrobe for monsters before I would go to bed,
Didn’t imagine any monsters but always checked under my bed.
No, I used to be scared of aliens or ghosts :/
I always thought that there was something hiding under the bed that was going to grab my ankles
i always thought there was something under my bed that would grab me if i got up in the night, i would always sit and shout my mum if i needed the toilet in the night
it wasnt monsters in the house, they were outside and it was tanks
I had a large closet that I sometimes imagined was opening as a child. I remember reading Cujo in bed when I was in my early 20’s and my bed faced the closet. I kept looking up because I was convinced I was hearing something behind the door. I guess some things never change!
I was convinced there was vampires under my bed
I didn’t
I imagined monsters and ghosts in my room and we had an airing cupboard with the great big water tank in my bedroom and everytime someone used water it would make tremendous rumbling noises which I imagined were the monsters coming out to get me!
I’ve always been scared of spiders and I remember imagining a giant spider-like monster in the dark corner of my bedroom!
No, I didn’t.
I didn’t really
Yes I did, but never anything specific – it was more a fear of “things” that might be lurking, I have no idea what!
I was certain monsters lived under my bed but I was too scared to put an image to my fears 🙂
I don’t think that I did
No, thankfully!
I used to be frightened of the bogey man
As a child no,but,as an adult,yes.Due to some medication that I take for nerve damage has ,as one on the side effects,bad dreams. I usually wake up screaming a couple of times a week.My husband,bless him,has endless patience and reassures me and cuddles me,quite difficult when I’ve jumped out of bed and I’m screaming in a corner.One night however,he must have been in a really deep sleep because,as I let out my usual blood curdling screams,he screamed too,which as a result made me scream even more,which then wakened my daughter who screamed too although she no idea why.We still laugh about it now but at the time it was terrifying !
They were werewolf monsters with big teeth. It made me scard of the dark! (@PeanutHog)
I used to sleep with the light on thinking that it would deter vampires lol
it was gremlins I thought were under my bed I still won`t watch that film again as an adult lol
I had witches under my bed as my big sister had given me a ‘Toby Twirl’ book which had witches through almost every story. I remember being told off for scribbling with crayon over a particularly nasty looking one .
I used to imagine Gremlins were hiding under my bed when my Nanna let me watch the film when i was young!
I didn’t but my sister used to have nightmares about a black bin liner monster called “Dickie Darkie” that used to hide in the wardrobe!! 🙂
My monster was an old man who came into my bedroom every night. I thought he lived in the closet
I don’t know what it was but I had one of those tall cabin beds that had a desk and a big space under it and I swore there was something there that took swipes at me as I went up the ladder and u could see one glowing eye x
My sister was terrified of a wolf in the wardrobe
Spiders!
Not really – unless I stayed at my Gran’s when passing cars made strange shadows on the wall
I did used to think there was something under my bed but I didn’t know what I just imagined hands grabbing my legs!
I don’t remember mine but my daughter keeps saying she can see ‘creatures’ in her room. When told to close her eyes she responds by saying they appear behind her eyes so it makes no difference!
No monsters just someone chasing me
Monsters that looked like bogey men
no one would dare come into my bedroom not even a monster
I never had nightmares or bad dreams about monsters but I did for some reason have night mares and trouble sleeping because I was scared my room would set on fire!
No, but I used to have nightmares about monsters
I did imagine large grey monsters with ugly faces hiding in my cupboards.
big furry ones hiding in wardrobe
yes, I used to do a big run and jump into bed incase there was one under the bed. ha ha x x
I never did
had a fear of something being under my bed but wasn’t any particilar thing
Under the bed always under the bed
imagine something scary i saw on tv
The boogy man
I lived in Equatorial Africa as a child. What we feared at night were the leopard men who would steal children to use in magic rituals.
alien like monsters
I think everyone has scared themselves on occasions