Scare ‘em but good

There’s something lurking in the shadows. Something under the bed. Every child knows that is where the wild things are, and this is where great stories start. The hunt for creepy crawlies and boogeymen delivers a good jolt of adrenaline, and that makes it monstrous good fun.

Writers have been stirring up frights since the Brothers Grimm. From Maurice Sendak’s children’s classic “Where the Wild Things Are” to R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” series to Ray Bradbury’s “Turn on the Night,” authors lure their readers by making the scary also infinitely lovable -- monsters that obey pajama-wearing kids, horrors that melt away with the rising sun. Nothing threatening, not too drastic, just a flash of wonder and surprise.

“Kids loved to be thrilled. They love that zing,” explains author and illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi.

Just in time for Halloween, the holiday that celebrates a good scare, DiTerlizzi has reached back 170 years to publish a new version of a children’s poem that contains what might be one of the most quoted lines in English verse: “ ‘Will you walk into my parlor?’ said the Spider to the Fly.”

“The Spider and the Fly,” written by Mary Howitt in 1829, is a multi-generational testament to the fact that everybody delights in a little fright. Initially DiTerlizzi had misgivings about updating the famous verse -- after all, the hapless fly comes to a terrible end. “We were concerned that it would freak kids out. So we test drove it on teachers, librarians and children,” DiTerlizzi recalls, adding that “teachers had reservations, but the librarians were tickled pink.” And of the young audience: “They loved it! They ate it up!” The eerily rendered images of the menacing spider and his “parlor” frighten and delight children.

Every year, families celebrate Halloween with goblins and ghosts, witches and wizardry, the very things that frighten children. The holiday has its roots in traditions that date back thousands of years to the Celtic tribes of Northern Europe that, over the centuries, became incorporated into the Christian observances of Allhallows Eve and All Saints’ Day -- days to honor ancestors. Why scare the kids? Well, the best reason is that children love the thrill of surprise and adults can see that youngsters get “a good scare” in a safe and controlled environment. So out come the scary stories, tricks, treats and costumes.

And there are plenty of scares, tricks and treats to be had this holiday. Tonight and through the weekend, all over the Southland, there are haunted houses, trick-or-treat festivals, plays, performances, parties and special events aimed to thrill and delight children and adults. This, after all, is the perfect season for children to dress up and play out their fantasies and poke fun at their fears.

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Listening in

Maurice Sendak exhibit and daily story hour

Where: Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles.

When: Exhibit, through Jan. 5: Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon-5 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Story hour: daily at 3 p.m.

Contact: (310) 440-4500.

Tony DiTerlizzi reads “The Spider and the Fly”

Where: Storyopolis, 116 N. Robertson Blvd.

When: Nov. 9, 11:30 a.m.

Contact: (310) 358-2500.