Old Black Witch

by Wende and Harry Devlin

Nickey and his mother buy an old house with the intention of turning it into a quaint tea room.  Unfortunately, the old house they bought came with a witch who had been sleeping in the chimney for years.  Insistent the house belongs to her, Old Black Witch tries to make life very hard for Nickey and his mother.  Her efforts to hinder turn into efforts to help her new housemates.  It turns out Old Black Witch is good at more than just making blueberry pancakes... 

image via logan.com

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

by Linda Williams

illustrated by Megan Lloyd

A little old woman, who wasn't afraid of anything, certainly wasn't about to let a dark walk home scare her.  However, along the way she is approached by a pair of pants (who go 'wiggle, wiggle'), a shirt ('shake, shake'), gloves ('clap, clap'), and more articles of clothing, plus a giant pumpkin head that prove the little old lady is afraid of something.  In the end, the little old woman proves she really isn't scared easily, and it turns out for the best for everyone.

We love this book!  Not at all a scary book, and our little ones quickly picked up on doing actions for the 'wiggle,wiggle' or the 'shake, shake' involved in the story.  

Have a little fun: Perform a Reader's Theater for this book!  Perfect for if your family holds a Family Night, or a great way to start one!  There's no need for props or anything but the script and your imaginations, so preparation is a snap.  I like this one, taken from a first grade teacher's website.   Of course, unless you have 10 family members, you may have to rearrange the parts a little.

image via coverbrowser.com

Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance

I'll admit I'm a bit of a forced expert on Halloween books. Our local library has lovingly divided the holiday books into sections, so we can read Halloween books all year round if we wish...and (unfortunately) we do. Our little buddy has a fearful fascination with all things Halloween, so I can confidently say we have read every Halloween book offered at our library. So I have a lot to share. Not all are specifically Halloween, but all are guaranteed "spooky."

by Keith Graves

Frank was a monster who wanted to dance, so what did he do? Put ants in his pants, of course! He then takes off to show off his moves.

I have learned that pretty much all Halloween books rhyme. Why? I think it makes the subject matter less scary. If there's any way to talk about skeletons, mummies and vampires in a non-threatening way, rhyme would be the way to do it. I don't think my son would enjoy the books nearly as much if the rhyme didn't help make being "spooked" a fun thing.

Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance is a completely silly book. And, just so you know, the illustrations are pretty...lively. His brain plops onto the floor, his eyeball falls out, and he pretty much comes to pieces when he dances. But, it wouldn't be Halloween without a little gore! The pictures are not scary, and my kids (ages 3 and 5) think it's completely hilarious.

Share your favorite Halloween, monster, alien or other spooky books with me! We need the variety!

images via chroniclebooks.com

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

by Judi Barrett

illustrations by Rob Barrett

A classic story about a grandfather who tells his grandchildren the most amazing bedtime story about the town of Chewandswallow. A normal town, except that each day's 3 meals all come from the sky. Seems great, until the weather starts producing more than the town can handle.

I think I like this book now because I think, wouldn't that be great? I'd never have to cook again! Hooray! But when I really think about it, I don't mind cooking. It's the mess afterward that drives me crazy. And if I had to wash the dishes and wash the car after every meal, I'd be the first to board the peanut butter sandwich sailboat to get out of town.

As a kid, I loved the story for the pictures. My kids are following suit with my 3 year old curled up on the couch laughing at every page. There are so many tiny and hilarious things to see! I only recently noticed that the Sanitation Truck has what appears to be baby doll heads on poles staked to the front bumper. Weird? Absolutely. As distrurbing as the fried egg the mama bird finds in her nest on page 12? Moreso, actually. Will I read this book to my kids again and again anyway? Yes. Will I show them the strange things I find embedded in an otherwise delightfully illustrated picturebook? Ha! Not likely.

Have a little fun: It isn't hard for a child to pretend they are actually reading this book, because the pictures are so descriptive. Read it to your child the first few times, then one day pass the book to your little pre-reader and tell them to read you the story. They will be so pleased that they can "read"!! Plus, if your child can learn to utilize the pictures now, it will be something they continue to do when they are learning to read. Any teacher will tell you to never cover the pictures to get your child to read the words. The pictures help tell the story and decode words if they get stuck!

If you were homeschooling, this might be a good, silly book to introduce a discussion of weather.

Love the book? Think it would make a great movie? Neither do I. But I always make plans around any event that includes Mr. T. Prepare yourself for an animated movie with the voices of Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Tracy Morgan (SNL reunion, anyone?), and of course, Mr. T among others. I guess the movie is very loosely based on the book, but since the book is entirely about food falling from the sky, what else is there to follow? Expect it in theaters January 2010.

update: the new trailer

images via bottomshelfbooks.blogspot.com