Category: Halloween

Boo! Made You Jump! based on a script by David Ingham I love Charlie and Lola, so I had to pick this up when I saw ourlibrary had it. It's another sweet Halloweeny book for young kids. Charlie is always able to scare his little sister Lola, making her jump, but Lola can never ever make him jump. One night at a sleepover, Lola decides to tell a story. "I'm going to tell you a really scary story about a terrible, terrible very old castle full of icky sticky spiders." Charlie does end up jumping at the end, which pleases Lola, even if it wasn't her story that did it. Really these siblings are just adorable and their friends a great too. The foru of them goof around, but are always kind and cute. And I love the illustration of the castle staircase, it just fits the mood perfectly. If I had a younger child, this one would definitely be in the Halloween box. As...

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman, illustrated by S.D. Schindler Halloween is just over a week away, so I wanted to share one of my favorite kids Halloween books. Our copy has been read so many times that the pages are falling out. A witch grows a pumpkin, but when she's ready to bake a pumpkin pie, the pumpkin is too big and she simply can't get it off the vine. Along come some of the neighborhood monsters each willing to help. Just then, along came a vampire. “Big pumpkin,” said the vampire. “It’s big and it’s mine, but it’s stuck on the vine, and Halloween’s just hours away,” said the witch. And she kicked that pumpkin. “I am bigger than both of you and stronger too,” boasted the vampire, “Let me try.” “Hmph!” said the witch. “Hmph!” said the ghost. But they thought about pumpkin pie and stepped aside. The rhythmic, repetitive text is perfect and I love the monsters. There's the must have Halloween visitors, the witch herself, a...

The 13 Days of Halloween by Carol Greene, illustrated by Tim Raglan We've been reading some Halloween books at bedtime this week. I won this enchanting book at Lit*Chick. Thanks, Melanie! When it first showed up in the mail, Amber (9) immediately sat down  look through it. The cover must have caught her attention. I complained, jokingly, that she should wait for me to read it with her, but she, of course, said we could read it together later. We did read it the next night. She is one of those kids who will read books over and over and enjoy them every time. On the first day of Halloween, my good friend gave to me: a vulture in a dead tree. A ghastly ghoul gives his ghostly love a collection of perfectly creepy gifts, from broomsticks to cauldron, cats to bats. The repeating verse is almost impossible to read aloud without singing and the illustrations are the perfect compliment, eerie enough to...

The Runaway Mummy by Michael Rex When a little mummy gets in trouble, he begins an imaginary game of chase with his mother. When her child becomes a serpent, gargoyle, or huge bat, the mother becomes the sea monster, dragon, or ancient cathedral necessary to be with her child. Only when the little mummy becomes a boy (actually a bunny) who takes karate and learns to play piano does his mother have to use her most savage, awful, terrible, bloodcurdling shriek to save him. Amber (9) and I read this adorable picture book last night. It's a little young for her, but perfect for the season and she liked it, especially the great illustrations. A dragon, a sea monster, a giant bat, how could she resist? The creatures the two mummies imagine themselves as are a little on the scary side, but bright, colorful and fun. It's a perfect Halloween book for the younger set. Even a mummy's mommy loves him, no...