Oliver’s S.C.R.E.A.M. II

Super Creepy Crunchy Colorful 

Reading Extravaganza A la Mode: 

Back for Seconds

I changed the “Creepy” in my S.C.R.E.A.M. II list to “Crunchy” and “Colorful.”

AND THEN COMES HALLOWEEN

by Tom Brenner, illustrated by Holly Meade

[PICTURE BOOK]

Candlewick, 2009

This book is about knowing it’s time for Halloween because autumn has come. When I read this book I can hear the crunchy sound dry leaves make. I can imagine pretty autumn colors. I can see them, too, because the pictures show red, orange, brown, and yellow. There are also black witches’ hats and a black cat.

Autumn is windy and cold. I can feel the wind and cold when I read this book. I can feel the special cozy feeling you have when it’s cold and windy outside but you’re inside and warm.

I can also feel the happiness of knowing that Halloween is coming. The kids in this book make decorations. They carve pumpkins. They go trick-or-treating. They spread out their candy to look at it. This all happens in autumn.

The words in this book sound like poems. They make you feel like autumn. They make you feel like Halloween.

CLICK, CLACK, BOO!: A TRICKY TREAT

by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin

[PICTURE BOOK]

Atheneum-Simon & Schuster, 2013

Farmer Brown doesn’t like the sights and sounds of Halloween. On Halloween night he hides under his covers because he’s scared of witches, pirates, and spooky sounds. Farmer Brown wouldn’t be scared if he knew that the witches are just the sheep in black hats and the sounds are just the farm animals making noise at their Halloween party. Then Farmer Brown hears a sound that’s not an autumn sound or a Halloween sound. When he hears “quackle,” he gets out of bed to see what’s going on. If you’ve read CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE, you know cows leave notes for Farmer Brown saying they want electric blankets. In this book, Farmer Brown finds another note on his door. You can read the book to see what the note says and if Farmer Brown stops being scared and starts having Halloween fun.

GHOST IN THE HOUSE

by Ammi-Joan Paquette, illustrated by Adam Record

[PICTURE BOOK]

Candlewick, 2013

Autumn leaves crunch. Geese flying south honk. People say, “Trick-or-treat.” Those are good sounds that make this time of year special. This book has other kinds of sounds you might hear at Halloween—the sounds ghosts, mummies, and witches make.

The story starts with a ghost who thinks he’s alone in a house. He gets scared when he hears a sound because he doesn’t know who’s making it. Then he sees a mummy. If I saw a mummy in the house I would scream and run away. But the ghost is relieved because he’s not scared of mummies. Then there’s another creepy sound. The ghost and mummy are scared until they find out it’s just a monster. The group of creatures gets bigger and they aren’t scared of any of the other noisy creatures they meet in the house. The last sound is made by somebody who does scare them. You can read the book to see who it is and what sound he makes.

Autumn is a good time to read and so is Halloween. If you want to know some more good books about autumn and Halloween, you can look at my other S.C.R.E.A.M. list.