M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

Boo-licious Books for Halloween Fun
By Holly E. Newton

Halloween is just around the corner, and here are some fun and not-too-spooky picture books for your youngsters.

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together, by Mary Ann Hoberman, is a terrific way to read an amusing and entertaining book full of stories. What makes these stories unique is that they need to be read aloud, and with more than one reader. Hoberman has cleverly color-coded
each story so that the reader knows each rhyming tale that is to be read.

For instance, “Trick or Treat” has one reader in blue, the answering reader in pink. When you see yellow text that means readers read together. “Trick or treat!” (blue) “Trick or treat!” (pink) “Wonder what they’ll have to eat!” (yellow) The fun illustrations, by Michael Emberly, tell each tale in expert fashion. Your little ones will need to be able to read at a second grade level or above to participate, but what fun they’ll have!

Aunt Nancy and the Bothersome Visitors, by Phyllis Root, is compiled of four very short stories that are great fun to read aloud. The humorous country dialogue and clever schemes are found throughout as Aunt Nancy continually devises ways to rid herself of unwanted and uninvited houseguests. In “Aunt Nancy and Old Man Trouble,” you immediately get his picture in your mind even without the wonderful illustrations of what he looks like — “dressed in a long black coat, all black hat and shiny black shoes. He was swinging a silver-headed walking stick, and his pointy white teeth gleamed in his pointy black beard.”

The full-page illustrations, by David Parkins, introduce each story with a comedic flair and prepare the reader for the aunt’s antics. The black and white silhouettes sprinkled throughout help to move each
[very short] story along. If you’re looking for abook that’s clever and with comic relief, look no further!

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Skelly the Skeleton Girl, written and illustrated by Jimmy Pickering, is a not-so-scary picture book about
a young skeleton who comes upon a bone. Who could it belong to? She begins her search and asks her pet skeleton fish, the ghosts who came for a beverage and even the monster who lives under the stairs. When she finally discovers the owner, she also discovers a new friend. The ingenious illustrations, including the front and back covers, make no bones about what the story is about!

I’m Not Scared!, written and illustrated by Jonathan Allen, has Baby Owl taking his little stuffed animal on a walk late at night, but he gets a little spooked when other nighttime animals come out and tell him not to be scared. He is continually telling them that he’s not scared. Or is he? This cute story will help
bring out what makes your little one scared after dark.

Monster Hug!, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein, is a remarkable book that clearly and succinctly demonstrates — with few words — two monsters who seem to play in their monster ways until the end, when their monster mommies tell them it’s bedtime. This is an ingenious book with both the text and illustrations! Don’t forget to check out the inside front and back pages.

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The next three books are geared for new readers. Scaredy-Pants!: A Halloween Story (level 1), by Joan Holub, and illustrated by Will Terry, has the ants in Ant Hill visiting the spooky fun house. The Monster in the Backpack (level 3), by Lisa Moser, and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones, has a monster in her backpack. Now what will she do? Bunnicula and Friends: Rabbit-cadabra! (level 3), by James Howe, and illustrated by Jeff Mack, has the magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Suppose it’s a vampire rabbit?

These last books are very short and are geared for toddler through age 5. Pepper picks a Pumpkin, written and illustrated by Linda Bleck, has all of the elements that youngsters love in interactive books — pop-outs, pull tags and lift the flaps. Here is a cute story about Lily and her puppy, Pepper, who pick their pumpkin for Halloween.

And, while we’re on lift-the-flap books, The Haunted Schoolhouse, by Jacklyn Williams, and wonderfully illustrated by Doug Cushma, is full of them! Here is a school full of mischief that seems to be what the ghoulish class expects. The rhyming text has the students doing “our best to get a good grade on….” (lift the flap and see the teacher holding something that looks quite dour) “..the week’s smelling test.”

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Two Little Witches: A Halloween Counting Story, by Harriet Ziefert, and brightly illustrated by Simms Taback, is the perfect depiction of this fun holiday through the eyes of a child. One little witch goes trick-or-treating with another and that makes 2 little witches. Then those 2 little witches meet one clown and that makes 3 — and so on. There are even colorful Halloween stickers included.

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Boo! Made You Jump!, written and illustrated by Lauren Child, is a simple story about how Lola can make her big brother scared. The text is easy for kids to relate to as there are many things that can make them scared.

Ghost Gets Dressed!, written and illustrated by Jane Trasler, is a great new reader story with brilliant colors that has repetitive words to help the young reader remember the text.

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