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Here are a couple of great spooky tales to get you in the mood for Halloween.
“Halloween Forest," by Marion Dane Bauer
This time, prolific author Marion Dane Bauer presents us with a tale of a young trick-or-treater who hazards a forest of bones in search of candy. The illustrations of the bone forest are wonderfully creepy. Skeletons begin to form in the trees until finally skeletons of cats, bats and rats are everywhere. Of course, with a “BOO!" and a “POOH!" and even a “WAHOO!" by the trick-or-treater, the bone forest gives up all its candy. For very small or sensitive children, the illustrations may be unsettling, but other children will want to pore over the illustrations for hours and have it read to them again and again.
“On A Windy Night," by Nancy Raines Day
A young boy makes his way home from tick-or-treating on a dark and windy night. As he walks through the forest a spooky voice whispers in his ear, “Cracklety-clack, bones in a sack. They could be yours — if you look back." Who, or what, is chasing him? The answer may surprise you. All ends well for the young boy, but his journey home is definitely spookerific! This picture book can be lightened by reading the refrain in a funny voice, rather than a scary voice, but it may be too unsettling for very young readers — unless they like the original Grimm fairy tales.
“Little Goblins Ten," by Pamela Jane
This fabulously illustrated picture book is set to the tune “Over in the Meadow," and the version that I always hear in my head is by Raffi. Whichever version you use, this gentle Halloween picture book will appeal to all. From monsters and zombies to bats and goblins, they all gleefully caper around howling, moaning and leaping. This is a fun Halloween picture book with illustrations designed more for the child who is excited about Halloween, rather than the child who wants to feel those October chills running up and down their spine.
