Understanding A Todos Los Monstruos Les Da Miedo La
The phrase A Todos Los Monstruos Les Da Miedo La comes from a well-known Spanish children's book by María Teresa Ruas. The full title is "A Todos Los Monstruos Les Da Miedo La Oscuridad," which translates to "All Monsters Are Afraid of the Dark." It's a simple story about a girl who discovers that monsters share her fear of the dark, which helps her feel less alone in her own nighttime anxiety. The book's effectiveness comes from a specific psychological mechanism. Instead of telling a child that monsters aren't real, which doesn't help a kid who genuinely feels scared, it validates the fear and then flips the power dynamic. The child realizes that if monsters are scared of something, maybe they aren't as powerful as they seem. It gives the child a sense of agency without dismissing their emotions. I ran into this with a family I was advising recently. A seven-year-old was terrified of bedtime, convinced there were things in the closet. The parents had tried everything — nightlights, check-ins, ignoring it. Nothing worked until someone suggested reading this particular book together. The child latched onto the idea immediately, saying "so even monsters are scared? Then why should I be?" That shift in perspective from fear to curiosity is what makes the approach work. It's not about logical reasoning — it's about giving the child a new narrative to hold onto.
The actual text is very brief, maybe two hundred words total, illustrated with quiet, soft images. There's no complex plot. The girl walks through her house at night, encountering various monsters, each of whom is frightened of the dark just like her. The simplicity is deliberate. Complex narratives would distract from the core message.
The Psychology Behind Why This Approach Works
Child psychologists have long noted that direct reassurance often backfires with anxious children. When you tell a kid "there's nothing to be afraid of," they hear that their fear isn't being taken seriously. The book sidesteps this by meeting the child where they are — it accepts the monster as real within the story's world. Once the child accepts that premise, the revelation that monsters are also afraid becomes genuinely reassuring rather than dismissive. There's a secondary benefit that parents sometimes miss. The book models a conversation between the child and the monsters. The girl asks them directly what they're afraid of, and they answer honestly. This demonstrates to the child that expressing fear can lead to connection rather than shame. That's a valuable social-emotional lesson embedded in what looks like a simple picture book.
Get the Full Details
Limitations and When This Approach Fails
Not every child responds to this. I've seen cases where a child is so deeply anxious that even the idea of monsters being real makes things worse. If a child already believes monsters exist and the book reinforces that belief, it can intensify anxiety rather than reduce it. In those situations, the narrative flip doesn't land because the child has moved past the stage where "monsters are pretend" is a useful concept. Another common issue is age appropriateness. The book works best for children between four and seven years old. Older kids often find it babyish and will refuse to engage with it. Younger than four and they may not have the cognitive framework to understand the metaphor at all. You need to read the child, not just the age bracket. If this approach doesn't work after two or three attempts, it's worth considering whether the fear has a different source. Sometimes bedtime resistance isn't about fear at all — it's about separation anxiety, schedule issues, or sensory sensitivities. Using this book as a first response is reasonable, but it shouldn't be the only tool you try before looking at other factors.
Where to Find It
The book is widely available in both Spanish and English translations. The original Spanish edition is published by Edelvives and can be found through major retailers. The English version is titled "All Monsters Are Afraid of the Dark." It's also available as an ebook on most platforms and through public libraries. Some versions include a guide for parents at the back, which is worth reading because it contextualizes what you're doing beyond just reading a story. There are also read-along videos on YouTube and other platforms if you need a different format for a child who won't sit still for a book. These aren't substitutes for reading it yourself, but they can be useful in a pinch. The pacing of a video read can help a restless child stay engaged with the material. The core insight here is that the book works because it reframes the relationship between the child and the fear. It doesn't eliminate the fear — it changes the child's position within it. That's a subtle but important distinction that carries over into how you approach other anxieties. The goal isn't to make the monster disappear. It's to help the child realize they aren't the only one who feels small in the dark.
