Get Ready for Halloween

June 7, 2024

PreS-Gr 1-A delightful story that captures the excitement and preparation for the Halloween season. Nolan takes readers through the different activities associated with the holiday, including choosing costumes, decorating homes, picking out pumpkins, carving jack-o'-lanterns, gathering candy, and, finally, going trick-or-treating with friends and neighbors. Illustrations are bright, vibrant, and feature a variety of adorable animal families, keeping the pages visually engaging. The book is filled with a wealth of characters and details that encourage children to explore the images and absorb the many elements on each spread. Concise and straightforward text uses short, list-like sentences that are perfect for reading aloud, especially in a library story-hour setting. Simple language and repetitive phrases help guide children through the different tasks and events, allowing them to follow the story's progression seamlessly. The book's vocabulary is well suited for young readers, as it introduces them to words and concepts related to the Halloween celebration. The repetitive nature of the text also reinforces key phrases, which aids in comprehension and language development. This is an excellent read-aloud for families, as well as for those just beginning to explore books independently. VERDICT This delightful Halloween-themed story would be a wonderful addition to any library's collection, perfect for sparking excitement and enthusiasm about the spooky season.-Haley Amendt

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2024
Hurry, hurry: Halloween's coming! Families--indeed, a whole community of families, friends, and neighbors--are preparing for Halloween. There's much to be done ahead of the big day: decorating houses inside and out, making or picking out inventive, eye-catching costumes, and shopping for delectable treats and pumpkins to turn into jack-o'-lanterns. And don't forget all the picture taking. Nolan reminds young readers about safety measures: holding an adult's hand, looking both ways before crossing the street, staying with the group, and carrying flashlights or glow sticks. The weeks leading up to Halloween are generally a hectic, fun-filled time, and this joyous book reminds children and their grown-ups of that fact. The phrase "Is it time for Halloween?" appears periodically, followed by a chipper "Not yet. There's more to do." The text is expressed mostly via succinct phrases rather than full sentences, which adds to the excitement and may encourage emergent readers to navigate the text more confidently. The colorful illustrations pop with energy and feature an adorable, all-animal cast of children and adults cheerfully participating in holiday activities. The book emphasizes friendly neighborhood and family efforts and demonstrates that Halloween can be a welcoming, community-centered, and safe event for all. Sparkles with anticipatory, Halloween fun. (Picture book. 4-7)

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