Halloween is Coming by Cal Everett & Lenny Wen (Children's Picture Book Review)

 We recieved a digital review copy of this picture book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Halloween Is Coming
Words by Cal Everett
Illustrations by Lenny Wen
Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
on August 1, 2021
Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Holidays
Length:  32 pages
Ages: 4 - 8 years

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Synopsis:
A fun, rhyming read-aloud Halloween picture book that starts a new holiday tradition. Perfect for kids 4-8 or any young child wanting to celebrate the spookiest season of the year!

Marching in the school parade
in frightening costumes that we've made;
Look around, the signs are clear, 
Halloween is getting near! 

Halloween is Coming is a lyrical celebration of the building excitement that children--and adults!--feel as the magical and mysterious night of Halloween approaches.

My Thoughts:

Halloween is Coming is the perfect picture book for those that enjoy Halloween and the seasonal activities leading up to it!

With beautiful rhyming text and cute illustrations featuring children in their community, this picture book spans the autumn season and shares all the lovely things that lead up to Halloween, from falling leaves to farmers' markets to fun, fairytale costumes.  

This is a gentle picture book with a focus on autumn and autumn activities as well as Halloween and doesn't focus on the spooky parts as much as having fun with friends and family. The children's costumes are all adorable instead of spooky, which we think makes this perfect for little readers and listeners. 

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The Scary Book by Thierry Dedeiu (Children's Board Book Review)

 We received a copy of this board book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

The Scary Book
by Thierry Dedieu
Published by Prestel Junior
on September 15, 2020
Genre: Children's, Board Books
Length: 20 pages
Ages: 3 - 6 years

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Synopsis:
A perfect blend of silly and scary, this oversized lift-the-flap board book shows children what's hiding inside some creepy creatures!


Our Thoughts:

The Scary Book is perfect for kids that like scary, gross, and disturbing things! 

This is a fun and unique 'lift-the-flap' style board book that is full of spooky little surprises, such as the slimy innards of a frog or the dead victims of a hungry spider, and much more!

The bold colors and big text make this a great board book for little listeners and the extra big format and double-folded flaps make it all the more fun.

It's definitely an unconventional book but my little 'monster' loved how creepy it is and was full of questions about the critters and their lift-the-flap surprises.

There's also a few Halloween-themed surprises, such as a ghost, a skeleton, and a jack-o-lantern which makes this a great addition to any spooky-story shelves! 

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The Monster In My Basement by Dave Preston (Children's Picture Book Review)

 I received an ecopy of this book from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

The Monster In My Basement
Written by Dave Preston
Illustrated by Heather Lynn Harris
Published by CrissCross AppleSauce
on September 1, 2020
Genre: Children's, Picture Books
Length: 40 pages
Ages: 5 - 7 years

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Synopsis:
There's a monster in Dave's basement! His name is Howard and he's very hungry. Howard invites Dave to dinner. But will Dave eat dinner or BE dinner? The thought makes Dave shake a little bit, shake a little bit, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake.
Has Dave made a big mistake?


My Thoughts:

   A little boy named Dave finds a monster in his basement! When the monster invites Dave along for dinner, he isn't quite sure what to do! When he ends up in the monster's cave, he wonders if he's made a BIG mistake!

This is a fun picture book about hungry monsters that can be read by itself...

but

this book is also a song!

The song and the story behind The Monster In My Basement can be found on howardthemonster.com!

While this picture book can be read easily without listening to the song, it really does make it a lot more fun and interactive!
The repeating chorus bit is a lot of fun and the story has colorful and descriptive text to go along with the illustrations! 
 

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The Little Ghost That Was A Quilt by Riel Nason & Byron Eggonschwiler (Children's Picture Book Review)

We received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Little Ghost That Was A Quilt

Written by Riel Nason

Illustrated by Byron Eggonschwiler

  Published by Tundra Books

on September 1, 2020

Genre: Children's, Picture Books

Length: 48 pages

Ages: 3 - 7 years

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Synopsis:

When you're a quilt instead of a sheet, being a ghost is hard! 
An adorable picture book for fans of Stumpkin and How to Make Friends With A Ghost!

Our Thoughts:

    Once, there was a little ghost who was a quilt instead of a sheet. Because of his thick layers, he couldn't fly as fast or as freely as the ghosts in his family that were sheets, but the little ghost that was a quilt still wanted to see the world and join in, so he did! 

The Little Ghost That Was A Quilt is an adorable story about a ghost that doesn't quite fit in. He is saddened by his differences but still yearns to experience the world, especially as Halloween, his favorite holiday, nears! The little ghost's adventures don't always go as planned, but he finds joy in them nevertheless, making this a hopeful story perfect for the autumn season.

I think this heartwarming little story will stick with me for some time. The story has such a cute message to it and a happy ending!

I adored the traditional-style illustrations. They have a slightly gloomy look that the bright patchwork ghost that was a quilt stood out on quite well and I especially loved all of the detail in settings, from the unique wood grain to the spooky shadows and spiderwebs!

I grew up with a lot of Halloween picture books that I adored and this one gave me a little bit of nostalgia for those old obscure stories! This is one I will definitely be adding to our shelves!

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The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz (Picture Book Review)

The Ugly Pumpkin

by Dave Horowitz
Published by Putnam Juvenile
on August 18, 2005
Genre: Children's, Picture Books
Length: 40 pages

Ages: 2 - 6 years

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Synopsis:
No one wants to take home the Ugly Pumpkin. Sure, he doesn't look like any of the other pumpkins, but why does everyone have to tease him so much? The poor, lonely pumpkin goes in search of a place where he'll fit in - and finally discovers the truth about who he is and where he belongs.

Our Thoughts:
This is a touching story about an ugly pumpkin that never gets picked to be a jack-o-lantern. He's tired of being teased and tricked so off he goes to find his place in the world, leaving October behind and heading into November where he finds where he truly belongs and celebrates Thanksgiving with a group of great new friends.

The Ugly Pumpkin reminds me so much of Hans Christian Andersons' 'The Ugly Duckling' has important themes about kindness, self-esteem, and finding where you fit in. I think it's a great story to teach kids about bullying and acceptance.

This story is set between October and November (and the two popular holidays within each,) with illustrations that reflect the season and holidays, making this a great Autumn read! I think it would be a great story to read before going to a pumpkin-picking farm that has both pumpkins and squash!

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Dino-Halloween by Lisa Wheeler & Barry Gott (Picture Book Review)

Dino-Halloween
(Dino-Holidays series)

Written by Lisa Wheeler

Illustrated by Barry Gott
Published by Carolrholda Books

 on August 6, 2019
Genre: Children's, Picture Books
Length: 32 pages
Ages: 5 - 9 years

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Synopsis:

Trick or treat! Join your favorite dinosaurs as they visit a haunted house, carve pumpkins, make costumes, and more! Lisa Wheeler and Barry Gott come together again to show how these fun-loving dinos celebrate Halloween.

Our Thoughts:

Dino lovers are going to have a ton of fun with this Halloween-themed picture book!

Join along with Compy, Pachy, the Ptero twins, and more as they prepare for Halloween and pick pumpkins to carve, make their own costumes, and more. These costumed dinos visit a haunted house, a Halloween bash, and finish their night off with trick-or-treating and lots of yummy candy!

This fun picture book shows us plenty of great Halloween holiday activities all acted out by various anthropomorphic dinosaur species with appropriate names (or easily identifiable nicknames)!

This is our first Lisa Wheeler picture book but we since learned that there is a whole series of these dino books about different sports and also one about Christmas!

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I SPY Spooky Night by James Marzollo & Walter Wick (Picture Book Review)

I Spy Spooky Night:
A Book of Picture Riddles
Written by Jean Marzollo
Illustrated by Walter Wick
Published by Cartwheel Books
on July 30, 2019 
(first published in 1996)
Genre: Children's, Picture Books
Length: 40 pages
Ages: 4 - 8 years

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Synopsis:
Kids of all ages will enjoy a fun and spooky exploration as a trickster skeleton beckons readers from room to room to I Spy for mice, spiders, candles, bats, jack-o'-lanterns, bones, and so much more! From its rickety gate to its cobwebbed attic, this haunted house contains 13 spooky and spectacular photographs. There is a spooky graveyard, a mysterious laboratory, a garden of ghoulies--each page has rhyming puzzles with eerie objects to find.

Our Thoughts:

'Tis the season for spooky and I SPY has given us a wonderfully creepy look-and-find to fill our dark and dreary (rainy) days.

I remember borrowing as many of these I SPY books from the library as I could as a kid. A family member and I would look over them together and marvel at all the different items on each page. I can't remember if the new and older version are the same though. This one reminded me very much of the ones from when I was a child with a similar style and very old items. Still, it was a lot of fun to come back to these old favorites!

My daughter loves look-and-find books but a lot of the ones in her age groups are way too easy so are always happy to find something that gives us a challenge. I thought this was perfect for her because there are plenty of easy to find items but enough harder ones to take our time with. The rhyming riddles were a lot of fun for her, especially since they are also the list of items to find!

There are extra riddles of items to find listed in the back along with descriptions or the rarer and lesser-known items included in the search, such as a palindrome and a rebus.

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Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson (Picture Book Review)

Room on the Broom
Written by Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Published by Puffin Books
on August 27, 2001
Genre: Children's, Picture Books
Length: 32 pages
Ages: 4 - 8 years


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BookDepository

Literary Awards:
Blue Peter Book Award for Best Book to Read Aloud (2003)

Synopsis:
The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch's hat, then her bow, and then her wand! Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom. But is there room on the broom for so many friends? And when disaster strikes, will they be able to save the witch from a hungry dragon?

Our Thoughts:

It's a blustery day and the witch and her cat keep losing items and having to fetch them. They meet an array of helpful friends along the way and make room on the broom for everyone to ride along. That is until disaster strikes and a dragon appears!

Room on the Broom is such a wonderful and memorable story!

It is told in a flowing rhyme and is a sweet story with themes of kindness and friendship.

 The illustrations are soft and inviting and the characters are all so friendly that it's easy to love them and this story!

This has been our most reread picture book of the month! My daughter chooses it for every storytime even though she hasn't really been interested in any of our other Halloween-themed books. She loves the animals and how they stick up for the witch and save her at the end! There's animated cartoon version of this story on Netflix right now and we've also watched that many times as well!

Here's a clip of the cartoon from youtube I most recommend the full animated story on Netflix! It's super cute! 

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Pumpkin Island by Arthur Geisert (Picture Book Review)

Pumpkin Island

by Arthur Geisert
Published by Enchanted Lion Books
on September 4, 2018
Genre: Children's, Picture Books

Length: 40 pages

Ages: 4 - 8 years

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Synopsis:
Drawn from life, Arthur Geisert's Pumpkin Island is the fantastical story of a real-life town brought to a halt by a profusion of pumpkins.
Elkader, Iowa is the perfect picture of small-town life--that is, until the pumpkins arrive. One pumpkin? Fine. Two pumpkins? Okay. But with pumpkins growing around every street corner, and over every building, what's a town to do? In these pages, Geisert imagines the town of Elkador overrun by the pumpkins that grow on Pumpkin Island, which sits in the Turkey River, right outside his kitchen window.Our Thoughts:

This fun story is about a real-life town that is overrun by growing pumpkins after one is washed downriver, smashes on an island, and then grows from there into the nearby town. The unruly vines grow up a bridge, over the street, up the sides of buildings, and wherever they can, leaving new pumpkins all over the place! Soon, the town is overrun with excess pumpkins! 

Luckily, it's almost Halloween and the townspeople find many, many uses for the pumpkins. They build little houses and boats, have pumpkin smashing fights, and decorate every surface of town. And when Halloween arrives, they carve them all into Jack-o-lanterns and have the biggest celebration of all! 

Pumpkin Island is a sort of cozy read that is perfect for autumn and the Halloween holiday. The illustrations are detailed and busy, giving the reader plenty to look at. I did think some of the illustrations were a little disproportionate but still enjoyed the overall story.

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Picture Book Review: It's Raining Bats and Frogs by Rebecca Colby

Title: It's Raining Bats & Frogs

Author: Rebecca Colby

Illustrator: Steven Henry

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication Date: August 11, 2015

Length: 40 pages

Source: Borrowed

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Synopsis: 

Delia has been looking forward all year to flying in the annual Halloween Parade. But parade day brings heavy rain. So, Delia takes action. Using her best magic, Delia changes the rain to cats and dogs. But that doesn't work too well! Then hats and clogs. That doesn't work, either! Each new type of rains brings a new set of problems. How can Delia save the day?

My Thoughts:

Delia is excited to participate in the annual Halloween Parade but when it starts raining she decides to do a little magic. First she turns the rain into cats and dogs, but that just didn't work. Then she changes it to hats and clogs, but the other witches started fighting over them. Then she changed the rain to bats and frogs, but that didn't work either! Eventually, Delia figures out the perfect thing and the parade goes on despite the foul weather. 

It's Raining Bats & Frogs is the perfect picture book to read this close to Halloween. It's full of witches flying broomsticks and witchy things. There's also a big Halloween Parade at the end that is lots of fun. 

The illustrations are more on the adorable side than spooky but the coloration gives a very dark and foreboding touch to the story. The witches and the animals in this book are all very happy with friendly faces and that makes this perfect for young readers who aren't quite looking for something scary yet. 

Book Review: My Haunted House by Angie Sage

Title: My Haunted House
Author: Angie Sage
Series: Araminta Spook #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Publication Date: August 1, 2016
Genre: Children's, Paranormal
Length: 160 pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

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Synopsis: 
Araminta Spookie lives in a wonderful old haunted house, but her crabby aunt Tabby wants to move. Aunt Tabby is determined to sell their house--Araminta "has" to stop her! 

With the help of a haunted suit of armor named Sir Horace, a ghost named Edmund, and a lot of imagination, Araminta hatches a plot for an Awful Ambush that is so ghoulish, it just might work!

My Thoughts: 
Araminta Spookie lives with her aunt and uncle in a dreary old mansion and she absolutely loves it. She enjoys hunting for ghosts, wrangling Uncle Drac's bats, and switching bedrooms whenever she's in the mood to. When she gets wind that Aunt Tabby wants to sell the mansion and move, Araminta is determined to sabotage Aunt Tabby's efforts. When realtors come to look at the house, she scares them away. But when an odd family shows interest in the spooky old house, Araminta's plans go awry. Will she be able to change their minds and continue living in her beloved mansion?

Araminta Spookie is a fun little read that any young child looking for something spooky without the chance of actually frightening them will enjoy. There's an old rusty suit of armor that harbors a ghost as well as a ghost boy, but they are so friendly that it's almost certain that even a young child won't be overly spooked by this book. Araminta's antics are childish but mildly entertaining at times. 

As this is a chapter book geared towards younger audiences, it is rather easy to read with short sentences and little description but I do think it may be enjoyed by anyone looking for something a bit similar to but more docile than The Addams Family. 

My Rating: 3.75 stars

The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt & Tony DiTerlizzi

Title: The Spider and the Fly

Based on the cautionary tale by Mary Howitt

Author & Illustrator: Tony DiTerlizzi

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Length: 40 pages
Format: Hardcover

Source: borrowed

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Synopsis: 

" 'Will you walk into my parlor,' said the Spider to the Fly..."

is easily one of the most recognized and quoted first lines in all of English verse. But do you have any idea how the age-old tale of the Spider and the Fly ends? Join celebrated artist Tony DiTerlizzi as he--drawing inspiration from one of his loves, the classic Hollywood horror movies of the 1920s and 1930s--shines a cinematic spotlight on Mary Howitt's warning, written to her own childre about those who use sweet words to hide their not-so-sweet intentions. 

My Thoughts: 

This is the classic poem by Mary Howitz retold through brilliantly dark illustrations. This 'story' is a sort of parable about not talking to strangers or that words can be deceiving. It doesn't have the happiest of endings but I think that serves to ingrain the message into the reader's mind. 

I've had my eye on this book at the library for some time now. I'm a sucker for a good spooky story and I knew I wanted to read this but decided to wait until it was closer to Halloween. 

I only recently discovered Tony DiTerlizzi when I read The Spiderwick Chronicles a few months ago and have since found that DiTelizzi is a very talented artist. The black and white illustrations in The Spider and the Fly are fantastically gloomy. He did an amazing job of bringing this poem to life with illustrations that are dark and macabre without being overly spooky. I loved that the spider looked a bit like Vincent Price.