Halloween

Dear Vampa

| Tasha

Dear Vampa by Ross Collins

When the Wolfsons move in next door to the Pires, the differences are clear.  The Pires are amazed when their neighbors stay up all day and complain when there is noise at night.  The pets of the two families don’t get along at all.  And when the Pires take to the sky as bats, the Wolfsons shoot them out of the sky.  That’s was it.  The Pires moved away much to the surprise of the Wolfsons who just may not be as normal as readers may have thought.

Collins’ art is wonderful.  You can see more of it on the Harper Collins website where several of the pages are available.  The use of black, white and red for the Pire family is striking against the full-color world of the Wolfsons.  The stylized colors are carried throughout the book to great effect, especially on the pages with both families in the same room.  Collins has a knack for humor both in his understated and brief prose and in his illustrations which really tell the full story. 

This is a great addition to any Halloween story time.  It has vampires but is much more about the neighbors than about any scary aspects.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Haunted Party

| Tasha

Haunted Party by Iza Trapani

I read a lot of counting books, but they rarely make it to my review pile.  It’s even more rare for a rhyming, counting book to make it!  But this book beat those odds.

This book is about a ghost who is having a Halloween party.  To the party come a whole series of monsters: skeletons, goblins, werewolves, vampires, witches, mummies, and more.  Each monster is counted and joins the chaos of the party where they merrily cavort until 10 children knock on the door to trick-or-treat.  Frightened, the monsters flee the house in reverse order, until just the ghost is left.  The book ends with a little jump, perfect for goosebumps on Halloween.

Trapani has done a counting book right.  The counting is part of the book, but not the only reason for it.  There is a strong storyline here that keeps the book on track and interesting.  The rhyming is done well, creating a book that is easy to read aloud and has a bouncy, friendly quality.  There is a refrain that groups of children will love to chant along with: “at the haunted house of the ghost.”  Trapani’s illustrations are filled with deep colors that evoke the autumn.  There are also many small touches that bring the haunted feeling to life: spiders, eyes peeking from under the floorboard, worms and rats. 

Halloween fun for those who enjoy the thrill of monsters and the chill of a bit of creepiness.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Boo to You!

| Tasha

Boo to You! by Lois Ehlert

A new Ehlert picture book is always cause for celebration, a Halloween celebration in this case. 

The mice are in the garden preparing for their harvest party.  But then the cat shows up, making them very nervous.  The mice continue to decorate, creating jack-o-lanterns out of pumpkins and other vegetables.  When the cat appears in the middle of the party, the mice have found a way to defend themselves with very funny results.

Ehlert excels at simplicity.  Her books have a minimal number of words, but still have a storyline, action, and humor.  Perfection to share with toddlers and preschoolers with shorter attention spans.  Ehlert’s illustrations are always wonderful.  Here she works with paper combined with garden objects and photographs of squash and vegetables.  She perfectly captures the feel of late autumn with seeds, pods, and twine.  Her collages are great fun to pore over and try to figure out what they are made out of.  She uses pumpkin seeds as teeth to great effect!  Children will want to talk about the illustrations, touch them to see if they can feel them, and just linger for awhile in Ehlert’s world.

Highly recommended, this is a great Halloween book for little children.  It has no witches, monsters, or anything frightening.  Just mice, a cat, and lots of squash.  Appropriate for ages 2-5.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.