Tag: trick or treat

Knock Knock, Trick or Treat!: A Spooky Halloween Lift-the-Flap Book (Amy E. Sklansky)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Knock Knock, Trick or Treat!: A Spooky Halloween Lift-the-Flap Book, written by Amy E. Sklansky and illustrated by Chiara Galletti, a fun board book for little ghouls and goblins.

Readers can enjoy a trick-or-treating adventure through a very spooky neighborhood in this Halloween-themed lift-the-flap monster mash. Each of ten front door flaps opens to the reveal a different creepy creature within: a werewolf, a zombie, a vampire, a cyclops, and more! At what appears to be a neighborhood gathering on the final page, readers are assured that these monstrous neighbors aren’t actually scary – after all, they love candy, just like you and me!

Festively cute. Monster fans will delight with the cast of beasties on display, especially lesser-used monsters like the cyclops (a word JJ really enjoyed learning). Galletti’s illustrations are marvelously detailed, adding tons of clever visual gags and Easter eggs that make each “home” and its occupant unique. The rhyming text is simple, has a great rhythm, and is fun to read aloud, even if the lines written on the instead of the flaps can be tricky to make out, especially if you open any of the double doors in the wrong order (plus, as any caregiver with lift-a-flap books knows, those rhymes will be long gone if the flap is torn off by a rambunctious young reader). Also, it was a strange choice that the book revolves around collecting candy through trick-or-treating, yet none of the monsters are offering candy when their doors are opened; its an odd choice that feels like a missed opportunity. Otherwise, the length is perfect for a quick storytime, and JJ enjoyed it. This was a fun and festive way to celebrate the spooky season – Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Halloween Trick Or Treat: A Colors Book (Lydia Nichols)

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Hello, and happy Halloween from The Baby Bookworm! Our book today is Halloween Trick Or Treat: A Colors Book by Lydia Nichols, a delightful board book with a festively spooky twist!

Set against black-and-colorblock backgrounds, the book follows a simple structure: one of Nichols’ adorable retro-style illustrations of a kid in costume paired with text describing their costume and its hue. A red crayon, a purple cat, and a pink flower are even joined by some unexpected friends, like a mysterious vampire all in black, or a blue monster (dressed in costume as a human kid, naturally)!

What a fun little book! Nichols wisely keeps things simple, letting the positively charming illustrations – filled with bright beaming kids in a wide range of skin tones – shine. The text is minimal and easy to digest for little ones, which was awesome – JJ immediately picked up the rhythm and had a blast identifying the colors and the costumes by herself. One teeny complaint – the “pink” flower shows up as more of a salmon color, and JJ was stymied by this orange-pink shade; a brighter pink may have worked better. But otherwise, this is a bewitching little board board, perfect to celebrate Halloween with little ghouls and goblins. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Skelly’s Halloween (David Martin)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Skelly’s Halloween, written by David Martin and illustrated by Lori Richmond, a festively fun romp for the spookiest time of the year.

Skelly is so excited! He’s just woken up from his year-long nap for Halloween! He has to quickly throw together a costume: nothing too scary, like his monster suit, and nothing too complicated like his flying witch’s broom. A ghost seems like a perfect solution! Quickly stitching up a spare sheet, Skelly heads out to Trick-or-Treat – but oh no! The wind catches his sheet and deposits him onto the ground with a crash! His Halloween is quickly becoming a jumbled mess – can he find a friend to put him back together again?

Adorable! Using a wonderful balance of humor and sincerity, all wrapped up in Halloween spirit, this was a fun, enjoyable read. The story moves at a brisk pace that keeps the mood and matter light, and the bright, open, and colorful illustrations ensure that Skelly is sweet, never scary – except for one short scene that is deliciously played for kid-friendly comedy. Even the details are right-on: male Skelly considers dressing as a witch, and a young girl cosplays a pirate, subtly showing that dress-up is non-gendered play. The length was perfect, JJ loved the art and story, and this one was just a delight overall. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Trick-Or-Treat: A Happy Haunter’s Halloween (Debbie Leppanen)

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Hello friends, and Happy Halloween! To celebrate this spooktacular holiday, our book today is Trick-Or-Treat: A Happy Haunter’s Halloween, written by Debbie Leppanen and illustrated by Tad Carpenter! This collection is filled with ghoulish and ghastly poems to get any little Bookworm in the holiday spirit!

Including 15 poems of various rhyme schemes and meters, the poems within Trick-Or-Treat are all themed around the spookiest and scariest holiday of the season, Halloween. Some creepy, some funny, and some that simply capture the Halloween spirit, each is accompanied by a clever illustrated spread and plenty of festive frights.

This is the second poem collection we’ve read, and I was once again pleased with how well the layout works for little readers. Each poem is fun-sized, and can be read one or two at a time, but the book can also be finished easily in a single sitting. The poems themselves definitely capture the Halloween vibe well – some even being a little creepier (though not too much so) than I had anticipated. The illustrations are very cute, yet often ridiculously dramatic. However, there was a slight issue of the art sometimes giving away the punchline or twist of the poem, which was a bit disappointing. Still, this was a frightfully fun collection to celebrate Halloween with, and we very much enjoyed it. Baby Bookworm approved!