I GOT THE SPOOKY SPIRIT
by Connie Schofield-Morrison ; illustrated by Frank Morrison
Following I Got the Rhythm (2014), I Got the Christmas Spirit (2018), and I Got the School Spirit (2020), this husband-and-wife team keep the soulful vibes going with an ode to Halloween.
“I got the spooky spirit,” declares the young Black protagonist, hair in Afro puffs. The child whips up “a bubbling batch of brew,” decorates the house, dons a frightening costume (“complete with “BOO-licious face, FANG-tastic teeth, and witchy purple hair”), goes trick-or-treating, and bobs for apples and cuts loose at a Halloween party before going home…to eagerly anticipate the return of spooky season. This rollicking picture book features rhythmic, alliterative text that speaks to the senses. Setting the mood from the start, “a cool breeze blows crunchy leaves to the ground,” while “globs of stringy guts fall to the ground” as the child carves a pumpkin. Morrison’s signature oil paintings serve up all the exuberance, movement, and color that his fans have come to expect from his work. Making wonderful use of perspective, his detailed scenes each tell a story as younger siblings dart by in the background and trick-or-treaters stride by, decked out in their finest. Characters are racially diverse.
Festive, spine-tingling fun.
(Picture book. 3-8)