This book addresses possible negative effects of children's viewing of inappropriate media content and how parents can respond. The discussion of children's responses to frightening mass media is based on the findings of controlled research but also includes real-life examples, many presented in a child's or parent's own words. Following an introductory chapter, "Is Your Home Really Your Castle? Confronting the Resident Monster," the books chapters are: (1) "The Suddenly Crowded Queen-Size Bed: A Wake-Up Call to TV and Movie Fright"; (2) "Through a Child's Eyes: 'I Had No Idea It Would Be So Scary'"; (3) "Appearance, Appearance, Appearance: Beauty's More than Skin Deep"; (4) "The Trouble with Transformations: 'All of a Sudden, His Eyes Would Turn a Really Weird Shade of White...'"; (5) "'But It's Only Make-Believe': Fantasy, Fiction, and Fear"; (6) "When Reality Is a Nightmare: All the News That's Fit To Terrify"; (7) "When Words Won't Work: How to Help a Frightened Preschooler"; (8) "Making Explanations Child-Friendly: Reasoning That Comforts Kids"; (9) "Why Kids Are Drawn to Scary Entertainment: And What If They Like It Too Much?"; (10) "Ratings Roulette: The Perils of 'Parental Guidance'"; and (11) "Taming the Resident Monster: Living with the Reality of Television, Movies, and Videos." The book's appendix presents problems frequently caused by scary television and movies, the most troublesome content for different ages, tips for helping frightened preschoolers, tips for making explanations reassuring to children, what one should know about the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ratings, a guide to the amended TV parental guidelines, and contacts regarding TV and movie ratings. (EV)