What The Heck Was That?
Things That Go BUMP! In The Night begins like a gentle bedtime story—but quickly unravels into twisted humor and slapstick chaos.
This 32-page “kid’s picture book for adults” follows a father’s well-meaning—but misguided—effort to calm his child’s fear of the dark by telling increasingly outlandish stories of real-world bumps in the night that only affect grown-ups.
Intro:
“When I was a child, I was easily scared.
In bed, in the dark, I was never prepared.
So I’d cover my ears with my blankets held tight
against things that went BUMP! in the night.
As a grown-up, I find that I no longer shrink
from creaky old heaters or drips in the sink,
nor what’s in the closet or under the bed,
but what goes on out in the wide world instead.
So let’s go outside and see what we hear.
Is it something imagined or real that we fear?
As long as we’re careful, we should be alright
around things that go BUMP! in the night...”
Visually, the book uses silhouette as a storytelling device and a limited color palette. These purposeful limits lend themselves well to the concept of “perilous predicaments in the dark”. Think: Shel Silverstein meets Edward Gorey meets Saturday morning cartoons.