Halloween Surprises

Halloween Surprises by Ann Schweninger (Puffin Books, 1984). 

This is an adorable book that I enjoyed as a kid. It's about a family of bunnies celebrating Halloween. The book is set up like a comic strip, with speech bubbles telling the story as the bunnies create their costumes, make jack-o-lanterns, go trick-or-treating, and host a Halloween party. I especially love the tiny baby bunny.

The Pinkaboos

The Pinkaboos series by Jake and Laura Gosselin, illustrated by Billy Kelly (Andrews McMeel, 2016). 

Note: Although I was provided with free copies of these books, the opinions in this review are my own.

This is a great beginning to a middle grade series aimed at girls. The Pinkaboos are a group of friends who are frights (illustrated as various types of monsters) who attend Fright School to learn how to help little human girls conquer their fears by entering their dreams and chasing away nightmares (who are also shown as monsters). 

I quickly became invested in the story, which is imaginative and fun. I liked that it didn't shy away from some dark elements, like a fright who is a school bully becoming a Nightmare. Before starting to read, I wasn't sure if the message of "overcoming your fears" would be too heavy handed, but the authors do a good job of "show, don't tell" and focus on the imaginative details of their invented world.

The illustrations are super cute and playful. I also really liked that there are activities and fun facts at the end, such as the history of the legends of giants, and a worm cupcakes recipe. Each book is quite short (as an adult, it took me about 15 minutes to read each) so I think kids will anxiously be awaiting more stories in the series. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the authors in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

The Witch Who Was Afraid of Witches

The Witch Who Was Afraid of Witches by Alice Low, illustrated by Karen Gundersheimer (1978).  

This was one of my Halloween favorites growing up.  It's the story of a young witch who lives with her older sisters who are bossy and mean to her.  They make her feel like she's not good enough to do magic like they can.  But one Halloween she befriends a trick-or-treater and learns she really does have witch magic.

It was reissued in 2000 with new illustrations by Jane Manning and made into an "I Can Read" book.  From the images I've seen of that version (Amazon), they are perfectly nice illustrations but lack the quirkiness of the original version.  It's actually really interesting to compare the two to show how a story can have such a different feeling depending on the illustrations. The expressions of the character faces in Gundersheimer's version just can't be beat. 

See my Pinterest board for more Halloween books.

The Trouble with Mom

The Trouble with Mom by Babette Cole (Putnam, 1984).  

This is a book from my childhood that is a lot of fun.  I used to read it at Halloween time although it's not actually about the holiday.  It's about a boy whose mom is quite eccentric.  Although she's never called a witch in the text, the pictures portray her as such.  His mom doesn't fit in with his classmates' parents, in fact they call her names and don't let their kids hang out at their house. The boy is ashamed and wishes his mom were normal.  But when a fire breaks out at school, his mom saves the day and the other parents realize she's ok afterall.  This is a funny book with a good message to not judge people who are different.

A Very Brave Witch

A Very Brave Witch by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Harry Bliss (Simon & Schuster, 2006).

This is a cute Halloween book told with speech bubbles like a comic.  It's the simple story of a little witch who explains that witches are afraid of humans.  On Halloween, she bumps into a human girl dressed as a witch. They become friends and the little brave witch takes the girl on a ride on her brookstick.

Looking online, I see that Weston Woods (now owned by Scholastic) made a video of it which I think works really well.  You can see the trailer here.

For more Halloween books, see my Pinterest board here.