Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Scholastic Inc.
Pages
32
Description
A band of trick-or-treaters and a mother cat and her kittens spend a very scary Halloween.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
32 p.; 8.5 inches
ISBN
0590429108 / 9780590429108
UPC
046442197991
Similar in this library
Lexile
L
User reviews
LibraryThing member Treeseed
The goblins, witches, skeletons and ghosts will be prowling my neighborhood any time now. 'tis Hallow E'en and the perfect time for the cutest Halloween story of them all.
Scary, Scary Halloween is the creation of two powerhouses in the world of children's literature. Author Eve Bunting, native of
This book is intended for the Baby to Preschool set but I have found that children slightly older, perhaps to age 7 really enjoy it as well. Published in 1986 it is a story that my youngest son loved when he was in kindergarten. I remember he insisted on taking it along for "Show and Tell."
Every page is part of a double page spread that has one small stanza of a Halloween poem on it. The pictures are pure fun with gently spooky details. The first verse of Bunting's Halloween poem that makes up the text is printed in white type on a stark black page. A Chinese lantern plant decorates on side of the page and in the center are two big green disembodied eyes peering from the darkness.
I peer outside, there's something there
That makes me shiver, spikes my hair.
It must be Halloween.
All of the illustrations are set against the black background and we can see that it is indeed Halloween as page by page we meet more and more creatures of the night starting with a skeleton (wearing tennis shoes) on the second double page spread. Jack-o-lanterns leer from fence-posts in the background and pumpkins glow in the fields. Next we are haunted by a ghost.
A ghost goes trailing, drifting by
With sunken mouth and sunken eye.
Ghosts rise on Halloween.
On the next pages we see the same strange green eyes glowering out of the dark but this time they are joined by three more sets of eerie eyes. Who..or what is behind those spooky eyes?
We meet a werewolf, Count Dracula and a pair of green faced hags. Goblins and gremlins and other denizens of the shadows leap and skip past bare trees that suggest the presence of faces among the whorls and texture of the bark. A jaunty red devil in a cape trimmed in flame capers by as colored leaves swirl about him. A mummy's tattered winding cloths drag up the steps and there are those eyes again, peering from beneath the porch. (Try asking your young listeners what or who they think those eyes belong to and you will get some very funny answers.)Step by step the mummy is getting closer to the door. What's he going to do?! A lady is standing in the brightly lit doorway and she's NOT scared! Instead she's offering a big bowl filled with treats.
"Trick or Treat? It's Halloween!
Am I the scariest thing you've seen?
Tonight? On Halloween?"
Several more double page spreads reveal laughing children behind the scary, scary Halloween folk...and when we discover the secret of the glowing eyes we get a lovely surprise!
Eve Bunting's Halloween poem offers just the right amount of suspense while show-casing the various symbols of Halloween. Jan Brett's outstanding colorful, evocative and fun-filled illustrations are my favorite pick for Halloween story time. Together these two talented women have created a big Halloween celebration between the covers of one short and sweet little book. I've shared it often and it offers just the right amount of gently spooky thrill to illuminate Halloween fun and it is requested again and again by little ones.
Scary, Scary Halloween is the creation of two powerhouses in the world of children's literature. Author Eve Bunting, native of
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Ireland, has written dozens and dozens of excellent children's books over the years including St. Patrick's Day in the Morning, also illustrated by Jan Brett. Jan Brett who hails from Massachusetts has illustrated dozens of wonderful children's books. Her characteristic brightly colored, detail-oriented pictures make every book she's worked on a delight. Comet's Nine Lives and Trouble with Trolls are just two examples of her memorable books for kids. This book is intended for the Baby to Preschool set but I have found that children slightly older, perhaps to age 7 really enjoy it as well. Published in 1986 it is a story that my youngest son loved when he was in kindergarten. I remember he insisted on taking it along for "Show and Tell."
Every page is part of a double page spread that has one small stanza of a Halloween poem on it. The pictures are pure fun with gently spooky details. The first verse of Bunting's Halloween poem that makes up the text is printed in white type on a stark black page. A Chinese lantern plant decorates on side of the page and in the center are two big green disembodied eyes peering from the darkness.
I peer outside, there's something there
That makes me shiver, spikes my hair.
It must be Halloween.
All of the illustrations are set against the black background and we can see that it is indeed Halloween as page by page we meet more and more creatures of the night starting with a skeleton (wearing tennis shoes) on the second double page spread. Jack-o-lanterns leer from fence-posts in the background and pumpkins glow in the fields. Next we are haunted by a ghost.
A ghost goes trailing, drifting by
With sunken mouth and sunken eye.
Ghosts rise on Halloween.
On the next pages we see the same strange green eyes glowering out of the dark but this time they are joined by three more sets of eerie eyes. Who..or what is behind those spooky eyes?
We meet a werewolf, Count Dracula and a pair of green faced hags. Goblins and gremlins and other denizens of the shadows leap and skip past bare trees that suggest the presence of faces among the whorls and texture of the bark. A jaunty red devil in a cape trimmed in flame capers by as colored leaves swirl about him. A mummy's tattered winding cloths drag up the steps and there are those eyes again, peering from beneath the porch. (Try asking your young listeners what or who they think those eyes belong to and you will get some very funny answers.)Step by step the mummy is getting closer to the door. What's he going to do?! A lady is standing in the brightly lit doorway and she's NOT scared! Instead she's offering a big bowl filled with treats.
"Trick or Treat? It's Halloween!
Am I the scariest thing you've seen?
Tonight? On Halloween?"
Several more double page spreads reveal laughing children behind the scary, scary Halloween folk...and when we discover the secret of the glowing eyes we get a lovely surprise!
Eve Bunting's Halloween poem offers just the right amount of suspense while show-casing the various symbols of Halloween. Jan Brett's outstanding colorful, evocative and fun-filled illustrations are my favorite pick for Halloween story time. Together these two talented women have created a big Halloween celebration between the covers of one short and sweet little book. I've shared it often and it offers just the right amount of gently spooky thrill to illuminate Halloween fun and it is requested again and again by little ones.
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LibraryThing member patsila
this has been a favorite of ours year after year. I love how it features children in costumes going trick-or-treating, all from the perspective of a family of skittish, stray cats living under an old woman's porch.
Some religious families may take issue with some of the language in this book. There
Some religious families may take issue with some of the language in this book. There
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is a reoccurring line: "in praise of Halloween" as the children prance about in their costumes. Therefore, I recommend prereading this one to see if it is something that will work for your family. Show Less
LibraryThing member allawishus
This would be great for a Halloween storytime; the text is brief and has a nice rhythm. It also shows younger ones that they're not the only ones who might be scared on Halloween. The illustrations are by Jan Brett and for the most part they're cute, slightly scary, bright and appealing. I did have
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a problem with the way she seemed to draw "moss" on the trees - it looked kind of like green slime was oozing down the branches. I don't really think that was the effect she was going for! Show Less
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
One of our upcoming selections for the Picture-Book Club (to which I belong, where our October theme will be "Autumn/Halloween," Scary, Scary Halloween is narrated by an (initially) unknown narrator, who observes a succession of creepy creatures approaching her home. From a gleaming skeleton to a
A deliciously creepy Halloween book with an unexpectedly endearing ending, this is one of a number of holiday picture-book collaborations between author Eve Bunting and illustrator Jan Brett (others include: St. Patrick's Day in the Morning, The Mother's Day Mice and The Valentine Bears). I can't say that, had I not already known that Brett was the artist involved, I would have recognized the work, as it is in a different style from her current offerings. Still, the effect is all that one could wish: suspenseful and deliciously spooky!
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growling werewolf, two grinning witches to a prancing devil, the visitors come and go, as the narrator and her companions - visible only as four sets of green eyes - keep watch. Finally, when the danger passes, they emerge for their own Halloween jaunt!A deliciously creepy Halloween book with an unexpectedly endearing ending, this is one of a number of holiday picture-book collaborations between author Eve Bunting and illustrator Jan Brett (others include: St. Patrick's Day in the Morning, The Mother's Day Mice and The Valentine Bears). I can't say that, had I not already known that Brett was the artist involved, I would have recognized the work, as it is in a different style from her current offerings. Still, the effect is all that one could wish: suspenseful and deliciously spooky!
Show Less
LibraryThing member kfisher524
This is a very cute book to read to children for the month of Halloween. It explains the different costumes walking from door to door. For example, ghosts and skeletons. Then, when the streets get quiet do the creatures hear the little ones crouched below?
LibraryThing member Spinea1
I would use this book as a mentor text to demonstrate how good writers use descriptive language.This is a great holiday book i could put in my library to excite students about reading.
LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
2.5 stars. Jan Brett toned down her usual complex illustrative style a lot for this. The surprise" at the end is ok. I don't think I'd buy this one for my classroom library, sorry. Not bad, just not as good as it might have been."
LibraryThing member Whisper1
I enjoyed reading this to my little friend Andres. He is six years old and learning via virtual school lessons. I am helping him by reading to him, explaining the meaning of the words, and when there are many of the same images, such as the pumpkins, he is learning to count the objects. He loved
He liked this book a lot. I child at heart who remembers learning to read with the help of my local librarian when I was five, I very much want to model her skills when she lovingly taught me to read.
In this tale, the cats in the front of the house, hiding under the bushes on Halloween Eve, are frightened by the trick or treaters as they run past wearing their very spooky costumes.
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counting 16 pumpkinsHe liked this book a lot. I child at heart who remembers learning to read with the help of my local librarian when I was five, I very much want to model her skills when she lovingly taught me to read.
In this tale, the cats in the front of the house, hiding under the bushes on Halloween Eve, are frightened by the trick or treaters as they run past wearing their very spooky costumes.
Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Colorado Children's Book Award (Nominee — 1990)
Call number
J2N.008