A Countdown to Halloween - Six days of holiday books: Day Six

Happy almost Halloween everyone! The Through the Looking Glass Halloween Countdown is almost over, and it is ending with a phenomenal book that readers of all ages will enjoy. Jon J. Muth has written several books that share Zen stories and Zen philosophies with his readers. This newest book continues this theme.

Zen Ghosts

Jon J. Muth

Picture Book

Ages 6 and up

Scholastic, 2010, 978-0-439-63430-4

   Karl, Addy, and Michael are getting their Halloween costumes ready. Their friend Stillwater the panda bear comes over and he explains that he is going to be a ghost for Halloween. Karl is going to be a monster, and Michael is going to be either an owl or a pirate. He doesn’t know which he prefers. Stillwater suggests that Michael might like to be an “Owl-Pirate.” After all, on Halloween anything is possible. Stillwater then tells his young friends that this Halloween is special because there is going to be a full moon. He knows someone who can tell the children a ghost story.

   So, after treat-or-treating on Halloween night, the children meet Stillwater at the stone wall and he takes them to his house where they meet a panda bear who looks exactly like Stillwater. He tells them a story about a girl whose soul separated and went into two different directions. One soul stayed with her family, and one ran away with the boy she loved. Which soul was the real girl?

   In this beautiful and thought-provoking picture book, Jon Muth brings readers an old story that has timeless appeal. Yes, it is a ghost story of sorts, but it also a story about duality, which is something all people of all ages encounter. I am my mother’s child, but I am also someone’s best friend. Which self is the real me?

   With gorgeous paintings throughout and a story that will resonate with readers of all ages, this picture book is an enduring treasure. 

Poetry Friday - A review of This is to say

This book of poetry delighted me. It is a story and a collection of poems rolled into one. It is an inspiration too. Imagine what life might be like if we all took the time to write a sorry poem to the people we upset.

This is just to say: Poems of apology and forgiveness

Joyce Sidman

Pamela Zagarenski

Poetry

For ages 8 to 12

Houghton Mifflin, 2007, 0-618-61680-2

Anthony K is a six grader in Mrs. Merz’s class at Florence Scribner School. Inspired by a poem written by William Carlos Williams, Anthony and his classmates decided to write some “sorry” poems to people that they have wronged in some way. They then asked the recipients of the poems to write poems in response to the apologies. The children have complied the two sets of poems into this book and they hope that we - their readers - will enjoy the poems that they wrote and that they received.

   The collection opens with a poem from Thomas. The poem is for Mrs. Garcia, who works in the office. Thomas confesses that he stole “the jelly doughnuts / that were in / the teacher’s lounge.”

   Reuben and Kyle apologize to each other for hitting each other too hard with the dodge ball. Reuben knows that he got carried away, and Kyle even goes so far as to say that he will probably “do it again.”

   Carmen apologizes for making fun of Mrs. Merz’s dress. She admits that she “felt like a traitor,” and she wishes she could “rewind” her hurtful words and say something kind instead.

   Each of the poems in this book beautifully captures the personalities of the people who wrote them. As we read them, we can almost see Mrs. Merz, her students, their families and their friends. We can appreciate the sentiments of the writers, and understand their transgressions and their hurts, their apologies and their forgiveness. There is humor and pathos in the words, and the various poetical forms used are beautifully complimented by Pamela Zagarenski’s memorable multimedia art.

A Countdown to Halloween - Six days of holiday books: Day Five

So far in this countdown we have had a board book and several picture books, so today I have chosen to give you a chapter book.

The Pumpkin Mystery

Carol Wallace

Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman

Fiction

Ages 5 to 7

Holiday House, 2010, 978-0-8234-2219-7

   Last year Aden and Leah’s family were able to host a wonderful pumpkin party for all of the children’s friends. The young guests were able to choose Halloween pumpkins from Aden and Leah’s family pumpkin patch. Leah and Aden are eager to plant pumpkins again this year so that they can have another pumpkin party in the fall.

   Carefully, under the watchful eyes of Mocha and Scruffy, the family dog and cat, Aden, Leah and their parents plant their pumpkin seeds. Carefully they tend the little vines. To their great distress, the vines don’t do well at all. How can they have a Halloween pumpkin party if they don’t have any pumpkins? Why have the plants done so poorly this year when they did so well last year?

   With an engaging story and amusing characters, this is an appealing chapter book for young readers. Children will enjoy the way the cat and dog in this story are the ones who save the day. 

A Countdown to Halloween - Six days of holiday books: Day Four

Today's Halloween book is a board book that younger readers are sure to enjoy.

Five Little Pumpkins

Illustrated by Ben Mantle

Board Book

Ages 2 to 4

Tiger Tales, 2010, 978-1589258563

Night is falling and five little pumpkins are sitting on a gate. Tonight is not just any night, it is Halloween night, so as the moon rises strange things start to happen. Witches swoop over the pumpkins, big black spiders drop down on them, and the pumpkins “run and run” as ghosts and other spooky things fill the night air. Then the pumpkins decide to “have some fun” and the evening becomes even more interesting.

   This amusing board book will perfectly suit little children who enjoy Halloween.

A Countdown to Halloween - Six days of holiday books: Day Three

For today's review I have a picture book that has been out of print for twenty five years. I am delighted that it is back so that today's young readers can enjoy it.

Hubknuckles

Emily Herman

Illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray

Picture Book

Ages 5 to 7

Random House, 2010, 978-0-517-55646-7

   Every year on Halloween Hubknuckles some to visit Lee and her siblings. He stays outside of course, looking in, and the children stay in and look out “enjoying the small tickles of fear” from the safety of their warm house. Then one year, Lee tells her siblings that Hubknuckles isn’t real, and there is no reason why she cannot go outside on Halloween night.

   Of course, as the light fades, Lee begins to feel less confident. She has trouble eating her usual amount of dinner, and during the Halloween party, Lee is smiling on the outside, but she is nervous under her smiles.

   Then the time comes, and Lee slips out of the door. She is sure that Hubknuckles is her father wearing a white sheet…but then she might be wrong.

   Back in print for the first time in twenty-five years, this deliciously spooky story will leave readers wondering and guessing. Could it be that Hubknuckles is real after all, or was someone out outside playing the part? With wonderfully atmospheric pencil drawings and a beautifully paced text, this picture book is a must read for the days leading up to Halloween.