A decent, durable first Halloween book.
Halloween gets the touchy-feely treatment in this simple, textured introduction to the holiday.
Stock photos, elementary artwork, glitter, fur, foil, and unrhymed text give baby an uncomplicated introduction to some familiar sights of late October. What this book lacks in artistic inspiration it may make up in practical utility; it’s meant to be touched, and it’s built to withstand rough handling. The cover photo, a jack-o’-lantern, is soft and squishy, and the pages are stiff and sturdy—easily turned but tough to tear, crease, or remove. Images are Halloween-themed but not frightening. A cute, black kitten peers over a carved pumpkin with a friendly grin that invites young fingers to trace its features: “Peekaboo! It’s Halloween.” On the next page, “Kitty says, ‘Meow!’ ” and children can touch its soft fur. A two-page spread features a toy witch stirring a cauldron of potion and then a close-up of her sticky, green brew. The potion’s tacky texture is an interesting tactile experience, but the wisdom of encouraging children to touch the side of the witch’s cooking vessel on the preceding page seems questionable. The toy witch and wizard look white, but two real-life trick-or-treaters (a wizard and a witch) are children of color. Bats, the moon, candy, a treat bucket, an owl, and the kitten in a witch’s hat also appear.
A decent, durable first Halloween book. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4654-6235-0
Page Count: 14
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
In this board book designed for the littlest llama lovers, adorable-as-ever Llama Llama (Llama Llama Red Pajama, 2005, etc.) gets ready for some Halloween fun.
Dewdney’s characteristic spare, apt rhymes convey a lot of action in effortlessly readable fashion. A charming and simple introduction to Halloween and its associated activities, this title finds little Llama Llama choosing and carving a pumpkin, pouring candy into bowls, picking out a costume and, finally, trick-or-treating. The costume Llama Llama decides to don—pointy teeth and a black mask and cape—is enough to frighten and fool his friends but not readers, who will immediately recognize and smile at the silly little mini-Dracula. With Dewdney’s characters as expressive as ever, young readers will be drawn right into the holiday fun, eagerly anticipating which costume Llama Llama will choose and excited to see him scare his friends and score some candy at trick-or-treat. In the equally appealing companion title, Llama Llama Jingle Bells,the little fellow gets ready for Christmas, baking and decorating some cookies in anticipation of Santa’s arrival. This simple holiday title will win Llama Llama new fans, and old friends will want to add it and its companion to their collections. (Board book. 1-2)
Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2014
ISBN: 978-0451469786
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
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An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver.
The farmyard's chickens experience Halloween.
A round, full moon shines in the sky, and the chickens of Boynton's barnyard are feeling “nervous.” Pumpkins shine “with flickering eyes,” witches and wizards wander the pastures, and one chicken has seen “a mouse of enormous size.” It’s Halloween night, and readers will delight as the chickens huddle together and try to figure out what's going on. All ends well, of course, and in Boynton's trademark silly style. (It’s really quite remarkable how her ranks of white, yellow-beaked chickens evoke rows of candy corn.) At this point parents and children know what they're in for when they pick up a book by the prolific author, and she doesn't disappoint here. The chickens are silly, the pigs are cute, and the coloring and illustrations evoke a warmth that little ones wary of Halloween will appreciate. For children leery of the ghouls and goblins lurking in the holiday's iconography, this is a perfect antidote, emphasizing all the fun Halloween has to offer.
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9300-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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