treeseed's Full Review: Eve Bunting - Scary, Scary Halloween
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 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. Happy Halloween, everyone!
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