Halloween treats that won’t rot your teeth!
Posted by: Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan
Cindy: This time of year makes me really miss my public library days. Halloween storytimes were so much fun. Sally Walker’s new Halloween pour-quoi tale, Druscilla’s Halloween (Carolrhoda, 2009) offers an explanation for how witches came to ride brooms. Aging Druscilla can no longer quietly sneak up on children by tiptoe to scare them–her knees make too much noise: “Snap! Crack! Creak! Pop!” One bad plan follows another as she tries to join her fellow witches, until finally a failure leads to an idea that just might work. Comedic illustrations and puns add to the fun in a story that will make a great read aloud with plenty of chances for young ghouls and boys to join in: “Snap! Crack! Creak! Pop!”
Lynn: A fun new book that will be wonderful for fall and Halloween story hours is Boo to You by Lois Ehlert (S&S/Beach Lane 2009). Two little mice, resplendent in blue handmade paper with seed pod tails, are planning a harvest party. All the guests are “edgy” about the meat eating cat who peeks out behind a vine just as the garden party is about to dine. A plan sprouts and in a wonderful fold out surprise, the cat is chased away. Ehlert adds a cornucopia of cut-out photographs of fall vegetables to her trademark collage. Bright colored gourds, squash and corn make each page a treat. Our focus group loved this book and had fun identifying the vegetables in the pictures. The large bold creations are nice for story hour but this is also nice for small groups where Ehlert’s inventive collages can be examined close-up. Boo to all of you!
Cindy: We’re getting lots of compliments on our Halloween bulletin board in one of my middle school libraries so I thought I’d share a photo. Tuck away the idea for next year…it’s quick and easy to make, doesn’t have to be perfect, and is visually striking–my favorite kind!
