The Bogeyman by Steve Dover

Summary:

As dusk and dark come earlier when time approaches Autumn and Winter brings calm cold mists to the streets, the lights throw shadows and shapes that awaken imagination and fear. Are they all fleeting shadows or is there one that is something else. The Bogey Man. His abnormality has made him a figure of rejection. Something other than the accepted normal. But he is afraid and he longs only for acceptance and inclusion. The Bogey Man is a metaphor for the less advantaged and those rejected by our prejudices.

Information about the Book

Title: The Bogeyman

Author: Steve Dover

Genre: MG

Publication Date: 27th October 2020

Page Count: 22

Publisher: Clink Street Publishing

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55771958-the-bogeyman

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bogeyman-Steve-Dover-ebook/dp/B08HQCGSMC

My Review
The Bogeyman is a short (older) children's book that comes off with a spooky vibe, but is actually kind of sad. It tells the story of the Bogeyman, a strange figure who lurks in the shadows with only a ghostly black cat to keep him company. The Bogeyman has a hump on his back and has been rejected by society for being too different and "scary", if you will.
The Bogeyman is unable to come out in the daytime due to a witch's curse, which is why he hides in the shadows. He only wants to be accepted and sing/dance/play with people. But, alas, he cannot. And that's just sad.
I really liked the story. It has a nice, easy rhyming flow to it, and the illustrations, while a little spooky in a way, are nicely done. The story and the illustrations combined emanate a sense of melancholy, and I think readers will pick up on that.
While the story is intended for older children to read (I'd say 9-13 would be an appropriate age-range), parents could probably read The Bogeyman to their younger children and explain to them why the Bogeyman is sad and alone. Getting kids to understand that just because someone may look different (whether due to a physical deformity or some other reason), it doesn't mean they're scary or bad.
Nobody is perfect, regardless of what the media and Hollywood like to tout, and I think this story does a nice job of bringing that into the light.
4 stars.

Author Information

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I was born into my working class family in New Brighton opposite Liverpool on the River Mersey in June 1956. My Mum and Dad always said that my sunny disposition and positive attributes were as a consequence of being a summer baby. I perceive the brightness in any dark situation and have the gift of imagination that allows me to see beyond where most people’s sight rests. As a child I was and indeed remain curious and highly mischievous. If there was a dare to be done, I’d do it.

I began writing poetry when I was 8 and still have some of those. I continue to write today about things that I observe – again beyond where other’s sight may cease. For example the latest I am working on is called Wishes On The Breeze which is about autumn leaves falling – each one a wish to be caught or lost. That idea came to me whilst waiting for a bus in a bus stop in Manchester surrounded by dropping leaves.

I saw a hole in the hill in my lawn the other day and saw a whole world beyond that which I explained to my 3 Grandchildren as there being a great lake down there with a City on its shores lit by bright starlight and inhabited by magic people who came out at night into our garden and looked after the fish and frogs in the pond and shielded our house and us from night terrors and danger.

My main profession is leading organisational transformation. Here I am perceived as a bit scary and extremely focused. It starts with helping organisations to build a Vision for their future which I then bring the right Business and Technical people together to bring it into reality. This is intricate and complex work under extreme pressure and working with some very diverse and disparate stakeholder groups. But I seem to have a knack of bringing them all together and focused on desired outcomes.

I have travelled quite extensively and am an honorary Sheikh of The Sultanate of Oman in Arabia. This title was given to me by the Governor of Dhofar – the Southern region of the Sultanate – following my two scientific expeditions to the remotest islands in the Indian Ocean off the Omani coast. These are The Halaniyat Islands. We discovered the very first British Merchant ship (The City of Winchester) sunk as an act of war by the Germans in World War One. I bought the wreck from the British Government for £1. We discovered a new species of Humpback Whale named The Arabian Sea Humpback and found untouched tombs and dwellings over 5,000 years old. And many more things of great wonder. One of the islands has a small population – the Al Shahiri tribe. So my name in Oman is Sheikh Steve Al Shahiri.

I am a scuba diving instructor and have been diving around the UK waters and all over the world for 40 years and still bubbling. I taught all three of my children to dive. They are all grown up now but as small children used to love my poems – many of which were specifically written for them. I have driven a tank and fired the gun; I have escaped a war between Iraq and Iran by crossing the desert to Jordan; I have dived in places that no other person had ever seen and discovered many magical things.

Life to me is a bright light only sometimes dimmed by pain or loss. I still feel the summer sun on my face – even in the coldest of times.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/steveddover

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