Halloween is right around the corner. In fact, my “work kids” are putting pressure on me to host a Halloween party again this year. They had so much fun last year. I had so many games, activities, prizes and candy galore. As fun as it was for THEM, it was a lot of work for ME since I made the games by hand. It took me weeks to get everything done. Now I have about three weeks to whip up another party? Sigh…
My work kids are really into the “spooky season.” If your child (or grandchild) is looking forward to trick-or-treating this year, I have some fun books by Simon and Shuster that they might enjoy.
Monsters on the Broom by Annemarie Riley Guertin and Illustrated by Shauna Lynn Panczyszyn.
Spooky Halloween creatures climb on a broom for an exciting flight. From witches who cackle “hee hee hee” to ghosts who wail “who hoo hooo,” young readers will love acting out the different monster sounds and singing a Halloween version of a song they know well!
I love that this book is shaped, so each page comes to life.
The illustrations in this fun book are adorable.
I love that this book encourages adults and children to make the sounds of the various characters. It reminds me of a book I loved as a child called Who Said Sue Said Who?
Pumpkin Patch Halloween (CoComelon) written by Patty Michaels.
Take a trip to the pumpkin patch and celebrate Halloween with JJ and his family in this story with text adapted from the lyrics of “The Halloween Pumpkin Patch Song,” which has garnered over seventy-five million views on YouTube!
I am not familiar with CoComelon, but I know many kids are in love with this animated series. Our neighbors son is “obsessed” with them, and many of my “work kids” rave about them as well.
Since I am not familiar with the show, I did look up the song on YouTube. Here it is if you are interested in seeing and hearing it.
This cute pumpkin shaped book features images from the episode the song appears in, as well as the words to the song.
I’m a Little Pumpkin by Hannah Eliot and illustrated by Anna Daviscourt.
I’m a little pumpkin,
yes I am.
Here are my green leaves.
Here is my stem!Meet adorable pumpkins and animal friends in this sweet story that celebrates fall!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book! It is so stinking cute! Cuteness overload!
I review a lot of children’s books. Most I donate to the YMCA program I am a site director for (our program’s “library”). I let the kids use the books to read at our program, or they are welcome to take them home. They can keep them too, if they want. My “work kids” go crazy for books.
This book I kept. I cannot get over how adorable it is. The illustrations will melt your heart. The text is also simple and it’s a charming story about pumpkins. SO CUTE!
Stories to Keep You Alive Despite Vampires by Ben Acker.
If you are reading this book, then you must be trapped in that spooky house with those vampires. Sorry about that.
But! You might just make it out if you manage to tell them one scary story each night in accordance with standard vampire rules. Don’t know any scary stories? Good thing you found this book! Every tale in this tome is true…more or less (more more than less).
You get a little bit of everything in this monster mash: from hitchhiking phantoms to women in white, a carnivore beast that loves a good vacation to a haunted mannequin with a bug problem, killer phones, concerned werewolves, you name it. Everything you need to keep those vampires on the edge of their seats—and well away from your neck.
But beware…don’t get too comfortable. Names have power, and if you whisper about too many things in the dark, they might just hear you.
I am not familiar with the author, but this is the fourth book in the series.
This is a very entertaining and engrossing book. This is the kind of book I would have read when I was younger. It’s “right up my alley,” so to speak.
There are a few images in this book, but mostly it’s text. There are little bats at the bottom where the page number is which I thought was a great idea.
If your child loves books like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Goosebumps, they will LOVE this book.
The Great Ghost Hoax (companion to The Great Pet Heist) by Emily Ecton and illustrated by David Mottram.
Butterbean is bored. She and the other pets pulled off a heist once, but that was like a million years ago. Nothing exciting has happened since then. That is, until Mrs. Third Floor shows up at their apartment, convinced there’s a ghost in the building.
Mrs. Third Floor’s rental unit is showing signs of paranormal activity—eerie noises, objects moving when no one is there, fish disappearing from the tank overnight. The pets decide to investigate. Soon they’re confronted with a bigger problem than just ghosts: professional ghost hunters who are offering to drive out the spirits for a hefty fee. It’s up to Butterbean and the rest of the gang to save Mrs. Third Floor from losing her life savings to scammers, all while dealing with some really annoying new animals. Can the furry friends uncover the truth in time?
I didn’t get a chance to read this book all the way through. It has many illustrations sprinkled throughout. For some reason one of the characters reminds me a lot of the main character in the Hello Neighbor book series. Even my husband thought so.
There is another book in this series. From what I read, and the fact that the main characters are animals, this is another book I could see myself reading when I was a child (I LOVE animal stories – even now as an adult).
The Adventures of Allie and Amy – Costume Parade, by Stephanie Calmenson and Joanna Cole. It’s illustrated by James Burks.
Best, best friends Allie and Amy do absolutely everything together. It’s almost Halloween and this dynamic duo are sure they’ll win first prize in the town’s costume contest. On the way, they see a little friend in need. Can they stop to help and still make it to the party on time?
I’m not familiar with this books series, but I do know two of the girls at work were fighting over this book. One of them told me she read another Allie and Amy book before. I’m not sure how many books are about Allie and Amy.
This is a very good book to read for children who are starting to read. I would call it an “easy reader.” It’s a book a child could read on their own.
There are delightful illustrations throughout the book to help bring their adventure alive.
I have more great Halloween books to share with readers. You can find part II here.
Kimberly
*I received free book samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.