Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In jokily menacing poems, Brown delivers satisfyingly off-kilter rhymes: "Jack is a rare wolf./ A covered with hair wolf./ A crouch in the doorway/ to give you a scare wolf." An assortment of weird and memorable figures include "the Oompachupa Loompacabra," which devours goats by luring them with chocolate bars; the "vumpire" ("When managers argue,/ he makes them feel sleepy"); and Dorian Gray's opposite, "Gory Rene." The outlandish humor and stylized acrylics, a balance of spooky and whimsical, put an entertaining spin on Halloween. Ages 5-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-Brown's playful collection of poems and paintings is likely to inspire as many giggles as it does shivers. Readers meet a werewolf named Jack, Duncan the shrunken head, and an unhappy mummy: "Why oh why/was I so badly mummified?/Where is the pride/in good mummification?" Gory Rene admires his self-portrait, a faithful rendering of his festering sores and hideous mange until his painted image turns oddly handsome, and in shame, he hides it away in the attic. "The Vumpire" stares at the back of players' necks; and the "Oompachupa Loompacabra" lures goats with chocolate bars, then "gobbles up their brains." Brown's acrylic illustrations add to the creepy silliness: an artful mix of naive and stylized, whimsical details and vibrant color. Young readers will relish the wordplay and find themselves torn to choose a favorite among this wacky menagerie. Fans of Eve Merriam and Lane Smith's Halloween ABC (1995) and Spooky ABC (2002, both S & S) will be won over by Brown's whimsy.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Brown presents a series of cleverly constructed--and masterfully incongruous--rhymes and wordplay. Ants gather debris for the title arboreal celebration; the Oompachupa Loompacabra lures goats with chocolate bars; and the Portrait of Gory Reni turns shamefully handsome. Autumnal tones and geometric creatures in the acrylic illustrations enhance the humor. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A modern master of nonsense verse reaches new heights of giddiness with this Halloween-themed collection. Choosing loopy scenarios and properly allowing the sounds he plays with to take his poems where they need to go, Brown presents readers with "The Oompachupa Loompacabra," "The Vumpire" and "Duncan," the shrunken head who "has, of course, / no limbs or torso. / He doesn't walk / or ride a horse, so, / a friendly grackle / flies him around." Opting for humor rather than chills, the poet imagines an army of ants getting ready for "Hallowilloween" and a Grim Reaper who dominates a dinner party by telling "so-called / drop-dead funny epitaphs." His flat acrylics, done in his customary surreal style, suit his subject perfectlyit's impossible not to chuckle at the Witches of Texas, who "are practicing hexes / in comical conical ten-gallon hats." Nefariously silly indeed. (Picture book/poetry. 5-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
