Review by Booklist Review
A series of patterned rhymes take a family from house to house for Halloween revelry. The simple but multilayered text echoes traditions of the holiday (trick-or-treating), teaches manners (saying thank you), and shows what to do with a scared, teary toddler: Teach him to just say BOO! Natural rhymes and use of alliteration ( If the wind whirls and whines and whips through the pines ) and strong images ( wet, shriveled leaves ) make this picture book a valuable introduction to poetic elements. Illustrated with an appropriate palette of fall colors, the book rises above much of the Halloween fare, inviting interaction from young listeners.--Austin, Patricia Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
As three children dressed as a witch, shark, and bat go trick-or-treating, they defuse potentially scary situations with one word: "If a yip and a yowl/ make you shiver and scowl,/ what do you say?/ Boo!" Thus armed, the kids face "wind [that] whirls and whines," a jack-o'-lantern's grin, and skeleton and dinosaur costumes. There's a comforting warmth underlying Hood's rhymes, and Henry's copper and silver palette gives the story a note of timelessness. Ages 3-8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. Illustrator's agent: Shannon Associates. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Three costumed youngsters prance throughout their neighborhood on Halloween in this rhyming story that teaches tiny trick-or-treaters to "just say BOO!" to scary situations. The story begins wordlessly on the endpapers, where the children leave the house with their father. "If the ghosts in the trees wibble-wobble your knees, what do you say?" A quick turn of the page instructs readers to shout, "BOO!" The revelers encounter spooky shadows, whiny wind, flickering grins in a jack-o'-lantern, and groaning skeletons along their travels. When they reach a house, they say "TRICK OR TREAT!" instead, and then "Thank you!" The story continues homeward bound where their mother and a younger sibling are waiting. When the children shout out "BOO" at their door, the baby is startled, and the story ends with the older siblings teaching the toddler to "just say BOO!" The art is done in muted watercolors dipped in a fall palette of oranges, browns, and rusty reds. Touches of humor abound, keeping the story light and nonthreatening. The simple text will make this an interactive choice for fall sharing. Useful for libraries that are always in need of new Halloween titles.-Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Half Hollow Hills Community Library, Dix Hills, NY (c) Copyright 2012. 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 Kirkus Book Review
Rhyming call-and-response text propels this light trick-or-treating adventure to its pleasant end, where even the youngest child learns how to say "boo!" Hood establishes a predictable, interactive rhythm from the get-go: "If the ghosts in the trees / wibble-wobble your knees, / what do you say? // BOO!" After this pattern is repeated a few times, the answers begin to vary, presumably in an attempt to further engage young readers. When wet leaves tug on sleeves, the children say, "Eww!" Or when an adult dressed as a skeleton offers candy to the costumed characters, they say, "Thank you!" Henry's rather pedestrian illustrations, many of which have a washed-out sepia effect with muted oranges, yellows and browns, lack the vibrancy reflected in the text. The main trio of children--a vampire bat, witch and shark--are cute enough, though, particularly the pudgy little shark. This wholesome, well-intentioned effort may result in an enthusiastic response even if the plot is a bit thin and the pictures fail to truly inspire. (Picture book. 2-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
