Traci Dunham talked about her new book 'Nothing to Fear from the Dark, My Dear'
Haddonfield author Traci Dunham's new book, "Nothing to Fear from the Dark, My Dear," taught Glassboro kindergarteners that creepy nighttime sounds and sights aren't always as scary as they seem. Dunham visited J. Harvey Rodgers School on Nov. 3 to read to students.
"When I was little, I was afraid of the dark. I would always run into my mother's room and stand next to her bed. I think that sometimes I even scared her by standing there," said Dunham.
With her mom's help, Dunham soon realized that there was nothing to be afraid of and that experience inspired her book, which is illustrated by Hannah Tuohy. The book follows a little boy through the night as he fears tapping noises that turn out to be branches scraping the window and a frightening shape that is simply a book under the bed.
This is the third children's book that Dunham has written. She told students that she finds topics in everyday life and her own experiences. Dunham wrote her first book, "The Oyster's Secret," on the beach. The book teaches children that true beauty comes from within. Her second book, "My Sister Lulu and Me," was inspired by the close relationship between her two daughters, one of whom has special needs. Dunham and Glassboro teachers told the kindergarteners that students could become authors, too, by writing and drawing about their lives in classroom notebooks.