Tag Archives: Halloween

Elem. -A Super Scary Narwhalloween

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Clanton, Ben. A Super Scary Narwhalloween. Tundra, 2023. 978-0-735-26674-2. unpaged. $12.99. Grades K-3.

Narwhal and Jelly are off on a new adventure–this time for Halloween! Narwhal is excited for Halloween, but Jelly isn’t so sure. He likes dressing up and the treats… but isn’t excited about the scary stuff. When Narwhal dashes off to create his costume, Jelly is left alone and uncertain without his best buddy around.  His uncertainty turns to fear as sea animals dash by telling of a huge, spiked, fanged, HUNGRY sea monster. Challenging Narwhal, Jelly Superifies his pod of friends, who follow his lead in the inevitable a monster encounter. Not surprisingly, the monster is no monster at all–just Narwhal caught in his costumes!

THOUGHTS: Narwhal, plus Halloween. This book is destined to fly off the shelves, just as the other Narwhal and Jelly adventures tend to do, even when Halloween isn’t around the corner. As with the other Narwhal stories, in addition to this one, the book includes fun facts about bats and scary ocean creatures as well as a bonus waffle comic. Ben Clanton continues to offer growing readers a lot in his Narwhal series.

Graphic Novel 

Elem. – The Skull

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Klassen, Jon. The Skull. Candlewick Press, 2023. 978-1-536-22336-1. 105 p. $15.36  Grades 1-4.

Otilla runs away from home. The reason is never explained to the reader–she just runs through the forest and into a clearing where she finds a house… that she discovers is inhabited by a skull. A skull who has been alone for many, many years. The skull invites Otilla into his home, and they explore the house together, discovering a fireplace room, garden room, dungeon, ball room, and tower. Along the way, Otilla helps the skull by carrying him through the house, picking him a pear, brewing tea, and lighting a fire. As night falls, the skull confesses that he is chased nightly by a headless skeleton. Otilla, undeterred, stays the night, and using her wits and her newfound knowledge of the house, defeats the skeleton and cements her unlikely friendship with the skull as well as their future together.  

THOUGHTS: Otilla is a plucky heroine with broad appeal, and her story is great for young readers seeking fun with a bit of a thrill or simply interested in a good folktale. The illustrations, in black and gray with warm lighting in shades of orange, add intrigue to the words on the page. Libraries with early elementary students looking for spooky stories will find a home for this book on their shelves… if it stays there!

Picture Book

MG/YA – Long Live the Pumpkin Queen

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Ernshaw, Shea. Long Live the Pumpkin Queen. Disney Press, 2022. 978-1-368-06960-1. $18.99. 320 p. Grades 7-12.

“At the crisp, inky hour of midnight, Jack and I are married atop Spiral Hill in the Death Door’s Cemetery. Wind stirs the bone-dry leaves, and Jack takes my soft rag doll hands in his–the coolness of his fingers calming the flutter rippling across my stitched seams.” After newlyweds Jack and Sally Skellington spend their honeymoon in Valentine’s town, they must return home to prepare for Halloween. However, Sally doesn’t feel much like a queen, and when the pressure becomes too much, she escapes to the woods where she discovers an overgrown door to a forgotten realm. The next morning, Sally discovers the residents of Halloween town have all been put to sleep by a mysterious Sandman, but when she looks for help within the other holiday realms, she finds them asleep as well. With nowhere else to turn, she enters the forgotten realm of Dreamtown determined to find a way to save the town and the ones she loves. 

THOUGHTS: I’m always wary of sequels to my favorite stories and movies, but when I heard promising reviews about Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, I knew I had to read it, and I’m so glad that I did! There are so many wonderful things about this book: the love between Jack and Sally, the magic within each holiday realm, and Sally’s journey to find her courage and inner strength to embrace her new role as Pumpkin Queen. Readers will wish they were right there with Sally, opening each holiday door and experiencing the sites, smells, and wonders within like the sweet, sugary air of Valentine’s town, the cool, crisp Autumn feel of Thanksgiving town, and the smell of mint and fresh grass of St. Patrick’s town. Although not every aspect of Sally’s journey is enjoyable, she discovers more about herself than she could have ever imagined.

Fantasy          Emily Hoffman, Conestoga Valley SD

Elem. – Traditions Around the World (Series NF)

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Traditions Around the World.  The Child’s World, 2022.  $30.79 ea. Set of 8. 32 p. Grades K-3.

Axelrod-Contrada, Joan. Halloween and Day of the Dead Traditions. 978-1-503-85016-3.
Cosson, M.J.  Easter Traditions. 978-1-503-85015-6.
—. Wishing Traditions. 978-1-503-85014-9.
Ingalls, Ann.  Birthday Traditions. 978-1-503-85011-8.
—. Christmas Traditions. 978-1-503-85012-5.
Kesserling, Susan. National Day Traditions. 978-1-503-85017-0.
Malaspina, Anna. New Year Traditions. 978-1-503-85018-7.
—. Tooth Traditions. 978-1-503-85013-2.

Each volume of this collection discusses various holidays, celebrations, or traditions in a variety of countries. These include Christmas, birthdays, Easter, Halloween, New Year, National holidays, and customs regarding tooth loss and wishing.  The text is formatted in typical nonfiction style and includes a table of contents, glossary, index, and suggested supplemental reading. What makes this series interesting is that the author has included at least one country from every inhabited continent. In Christmas Traditions, there are pages for Uganda, Chile, and India. In Birthday Traditions, one can learn about customs in Australia, Ghana, and Korea. At the bottom of each country’s page, a world map highlights the featured nation in red. The texts give some general background about the featured subject on the first few pages. The author includes either a craft or recipe as well as a song in the back matter. There are colorful photographs or illustrations on each two page spread. 

THOUGHTS: Although the set is a bit pricey, it is a good choice for those libraries needing updated diverse materials on holidays and traditions. This set is also useful for demonstrating nonfiction text features. Also available in digital format.  The volumes about Christmas Traditions and Birthday Traditions were used for this review.

394 General Customs          Denise Medwick, Retired, PSLA Member

Elem. – A Spoonful of Frogs

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Lyall, Casey, and Vera Brosgol, Illustrator. A Spoonful of Frogs. Greenwillow Books, 2022. 978-0-062-89029-0. unpaged. $17.99. Grades K-2.

Welcome to Bewitching Kitchen, where today’s featured recipe is Frog Soup. This easy and healthy recipe is every witch’s favorite treat! Ingredients include garlic, carrots, fly extract, and a spoonful of frogs for flavor and a “pop of color.” Unfortunately, the frogs in this witch’s kitchen are less than enthusiastic about jumping onto the spoon and into the pot. They outwit an increasingly frazzled witch before leading her on a chase across the street and right into a nearby pond. Luckily, the witch comes up with an acceptable substitute for frogs that saves both the recipe … and the frogs! Young readers will delight in the exaggerated physical comedy as the witch’s composure dissolves amidst the increasing chaos. They also will root for the adorable, wily frogs.

THOUGHTS: Vera Brosgol’s entertaining digital artwork enlivens Casey Lyall’s minimal, action-oriented text. This is a great selection for Halloween as well as introducing the cookbook section. Laughs are guaranteed! 

Picture Book          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD

Elem. – Creepy Crafts and More (Series NF)

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Owen, Ruth. Creepy Crafts and More. Bearport, 2021. $18.95 ea. $113.70 set of 6. 24 p. Grades 2-5.

Aliens. 978-1-647-47190-3.
Ghosts. 978-1-647-47185-9.
Monsters. 978-1-647-47187-3.
Spiders. 978-1-647-47189-7.
Vampires. 978-1-647-47188-0.
Witches. 978-1-647-47186-6.

Creepy is always popular with elementary students, and this series of books will add to the giggles and shivers. An appealing combination of crafts, snacks, facts, and history, Vampires provides hours of entertainment. All pages are illustrated, with attractive graphic design and bold colors. Craft activities contain clear, step-by-step instructions, plentiful illustrations, and no shortage of delightfully bloody details. The recipe for Vampire Fang cookies is simple enough for small hands, with adult assistance, and would make a fantastic Halloween treat. Interspersed in the pages are nuggets of vampire lore, as well as a page devoted to the super-icky vampire bat. A table of contents, glossary and index are included, as well as a selection of “Read More” suggestions and “Learn More Online” web resources.

THOUGHTS: These enticing books should be a hit with browsers, as well as readers interested in the crafts. They are hard to put down.  

745.5  Crafts          Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor SD

Elem. – Pumpkin Heads!

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Minor, Wendell. Pumpkin Heads! Charlesbridge. 2021. 978-1-58059-935-2. $11.99. Gr. PreK-2.

As fall rolls in, we start to see something all around. What are those round, orange things? Why, they are pumpkins of course! When Halloween looms closer, all of those carved pumpkins become pumpkin heads! Pumpkin heads come in all shapes and sizes, with all sorts of faces. Why, those silly pumpkins may even be found in the strangest of places! Happy Halloween, pumpkin heads!

THOUGHTS: This book shows the magical element of pumpkins! This picture book shows all sorts of pumpkins and gourds and makes it the highlight of the spooky season!

Picture Book          Rachel Burkhouse, Otto-Eldred SD