Category Archives: great books

Monday: The Hallo-wiener

by

I apologize in advance for recommending a book that has within its title a word that will invariably cause incessant repetition on the part of your children. Or perhaps that’s just my children. Nevertheless, “The Hallo-Wiener”, by Dav Pilkey (of “Captain Underpants” fame) certainly belongs on any list of great Halloween books. Oscar is a dachshund who is “half-a-dog tall and one-and-a-half dogs long” and is regularly teased by the other dogs. But nothing causes more ridicule than his mother’s decision to dress him for Halloween with a bun complete with mustard. Poor little Oscar – what shall he do? Come to the rescue, of course, as the little readers will find. A tale of inner strength and the best sausage puns you’ve read…

Friday: Food Play

by

‘For my wonderful family, who ate most of the contents of this book.” Thus is inscribed Saxton Freemann and Joost Elffers’ fantastic book, “Food Play” – a photography book that has kept my family in stitches since we bought it a year ago at the SFMOMA. Halloween book? Not really…but because there are many pumpkins and gourds in it, I’m going to include it. Basically, what we’re looking at here is a photo book of fruits and vegetables, made into characters. We have onion people, radish dogs bowling, strawberries kissing and chef made of mushrooms. Green onion families wait for a zucchini train and kiwis become barbershop quartets in this wonderfully wry and stunning book. No words are necessary  – and my sons love to create captions for each of the photographs. Don’t miss this book. It’s witty and creative and quirky and cute and all the best that photography books have to offer for children and parents alike.

Thursday: The Best Halloween Ever

by

Hooray for the Herdmans! Barbara Robinson’s “The Best Halloween Ever” may, in fact, be the funniest book on the market. The author of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”,  among others, has a lightening-quick wit and a tenderness towards her characters that is unparalleled. Reading this out loud to my boys is an act in self-control since her lines are so funny and so heartwarming you want to laugh and cry at the same time. I adore adore adore this book and can’t recommend it highly enough. Somehow the horrible Herdmans always save the day – and we, as the reader, end up rooting for them despite our better judgment. Don’t miss the audio recording of this book, read by Elaine Stritch. Hers is the only voice i could imagine for this. Sheer perfection.

Wednesday: Goodnight Goon

by

What would Margaret Wise Brown think if she saw “Goodnight Goon”? Probably laugh herself silly…just like my sons do every time we read this soon-to-be Halloween classic.  Michael Rex already followed in Brown’s footsteps with “Runaway Mummy” and now we can giggle ourselves to sleep with “Goodnight skull/And goodnight shoe/Goodnight creature/Goodnight goo/And goodnight to the old werewolf hollering ‘Boo.'” My boys love the words and the illustrations and were fascinated by the fact that an author can take something old(er) and make it new(er). A valuable lesson for readers young and old(er).

Tuesday: Zen Ghosts

by

For anyone who has marveled at the words and illustrations of Jon Muth (of “Zen Shorts” and “Zen Ties” fame), or for those of us who just can’t resist a giant panda named Stillwater, you’re in luck. Muth has just published his next entry into the Zen series – right in time for Halloween. “Zen Ghosts” follows our same characters, Stillwater, Addy, Michael and Karl as they trick-or-treat for candy and then are treated with scary stories from a mysterious visitor. These books are utterly gorgeous both textually and graphically…and my children just adore them. Happy reading!

Monday: The Witches

by

While it may not be a Halloween book, per se, no spooky book list should neglect to include Roald Dahl’s “The Witches” – one of my (and my sons) all time favorites. Not only do we get to meet a cigar-smoking Norwegian grandmother, but we encounter ladies with itchy scalps, quite a few references to dog poo (and really, who could resist that!?!) and several reasons for your children not to bathe regularly. The coupling of Roald Dahl and long-time illustrator Quentin Blake is a marriage made in heaven for any book, but for this one in particular. Don’t miss Lynn Redgrave’s reading of “The Witches” on the audio book, and, if you’re feeling particularly witchy, check out the movie starring Angelica Huston. It’s nowhere near as spectacular as the book (few movies are), but entertaining nonetheless.

Sunday: Georgie

by

No Halloween book list would be complete without “Georgie” by Robert Bright. Written in 1944, Georgie features not only the gentle little ghost from the title, but the wonderfully spooky illustrations by Bright himself. Georgie lives with the Whittakers and provides them with a little ghostly routine of a creaky  floorboard and a squeaky parlor door. But when Mr Whittaker decides to fix these, where does that leave Georgie, who really doesn’t want to scare a soul? This vintage Halloween tale has been delighting parents and children for more than 60 years and should take its rightful place on the bookshelves of families for 100 more.

Saturday: The Vanishing Pumpkin

by

Where else can you find a 700-year old woman, an 800-year old man, a rapscallion, a ghoul and a varmint? Not to mention characters who say things like “Great snakes!” (which, let’s face it, everyone should say now and then…). Look no further than the delightful book, “The Vanishing Pumpkin” by Tony Johnston, illustrated by, none other than, Tomie DePaola. My sons wait all year long to check this book out of the library each October and now my older son loves to read it to his little brother with all the silly voices he can possibly muster. What starts with a missing pumpkin and a hearty desire for pumpkin pie quickly becomes a veritable parade of Halloween misfits and a seriously old wizard.  Don’t miss this wonderful Halloween book. (Or I might just have to say “Great snakes!”)

Friday: Humbug Witch

by

I do hereby declare that it’s time for all things Halloween. Sure, we may have another two weeks to go, but, my word, the stores are already putting up Christmas for goodness sake. So, let’s hear it for the best Halloween children’s books around..

My first pick is chosen from a place of sheer sentimentality. This was one of those books on my bookshelf as a child that was worn and gorgeous and smelled slightly musty – all perfect ingredients for the most wonderful books. I haven’t seen it in many bookstores lately, and I hope to goodness it is still accessible to all children everyone.

Humbug Witch by Lorna Balian is truly one of the most delightful Halloween books around. Published in 1965, it’s still a classic with a delightful surprise ending. And, really…who could resist a cat named Fred?

Thursday: The Wicked Big Toddlah

by

For those of you who share in my love affair with all things Maine and New England, you should know that there is a seemingly endless supply of wonderful books by Maine authors and about Maine. Down East Books offers a fantastic line of such children’s books – with classics like “Miss Rumphius” by Barbara Cooney and Robert McCloskey’s “One Morning in Maine” and other, perhaps less known, treasures, like “Antlers Forever” by Frances Bloxam.

One of the more delightful of these, chosen by my darling friend Alison – who has exquisite taste in books…and friends… is “The Wicked Big Toddlah” by Kevin Hawkes – about an oversized baby delivered to a family in Maine. From the enormous diapers to the struggling stork, the words and illustrations are fantastic…my favorite is when Uncle Bert meets the baby for the first time and says, “That’s a wicked big toddlah ya got theyah, Jessie!” and I can’t help but thing of how much I love that very accent on annual trips to Maine every summer. It’s  a fun ready – with adorable pictures and a perfect fix for this Maine-iac.