Synopsis
There’s a hole in the ground and if there’s anything Fred hates, it’s holes in the ground. Especially, when they are black and deep.
Fred is sure that a grass monster lives underground in that hole, with enormous, pointy teeth – so he has to get out of there right this second. On the way, he unfortunately has to pass the extremely dangerous zombie tree, a laundry ghost and, not least, a damn scary dust ball man.
Fred sees monsters everywhere. The Zombie Tree. The Laundry Ghost. The big Dust Ball Man. But perhaps monsters are not that dangerous after all? Perhaps they are even a bit scared themselves?
Danish publisher, Gutkind, have produced a lovely activity booklet which can be seen here.
Reviews
"Funny and slightly surprising story about finding courage." – (Danish Library Centre (Lektørudtalelse)
"Perhaps the book can even make it a bit easier going to bed at night... Children can read it themselves, but it is also a book for the whole family. Spiced-up with gorgeous drawings. But beware: the book glows in the dark..." – Grit Jurack (Flensborg Newspaper (5 stars)
"It is not so often that books for the smallest children transgres the "cute border" and become really engaging. But this book, about Fred and everything he is scared of, goes straight to the heart. The language is succinct, warm and engaging. Really Daneskovian." – (Ekstra Bladet (5 stars)
Personal note from the author
Lars: As a child, I was scared of most things. I saw faces in the wallpaper and thought that all tree branches looked like arms reaching out for me. That’s the drawback of having a vivid imagination. At least if you believe everything you think. This is the atmosphere I was hoping to capture in the book. The courage to look the scary stuff in the eye and discover that it is perhaps not that scary after all.
Tor: I was personally scared of pretty much everything as a child and I relive it all through my daughter. She is - among other things - scared of Christmas elves and at a very early stage, we had to drop the tradition and tell her that they do not exist. That helped a bit. I myself was scared of snakes, spiders, rats and darkness.
Lars: For me, it was important that the book presented the scary stuff as something you can laugh about. Mostly, when you’re scared, you are aware that it is your imagination that has spun out of control. The readers ought to spot that before Fred does in the story.
Tor: I identify strongly with boys and men who are scared of something, who show vulnerability or have no clue about all those macho things. I think many people will be able to identify with Fred, even though they might not admit to it.
