Summerween is upon us!! I know I just got invited to a Summerween Celebration. We have been sharing all sorts of fun Summerween/Halloween books to celebrate. Last week we focused on ghosts and this week it is more about witches. Since we live near Salem, Massachusetts witches are a year-round thing. Today's books include a beautiful board book about getting ready for Halloween and a picture book about a witch. We will start with the board book. It is Wonderful Halloween by Emily Winfield Martin. It is recommended for ages 0 to 3.
About the Book:
In this charming, lyrical board book, the #1 New York Times bestselling creator of The Wonderful Things You Will Be celebrates all the whimsy, magic, and togetherness of Halloween—a unique, heartwarming gift that’s perfect for sharing with little ones year after year!Out we go to look for treats,
through cozy doors and chilly streets.
When a golden pumpkin moon is near…
Wonderful Halloween is here!
Join in the joy of costumes, treats, and cozy celebrations in Wonderful Halloween! With her signature warmth and charm, Emily Winfield Martin captures the spirit of this beloved holiday: from dancing leaves and starlit skies to trick-or-treating with friends. This gentle rhyming celebration makes Halloween feel magical, welcoming, and full of wonder.
The eye-catching cover features a die-cut moon and gold foil.
From Me:
This is a beautiful book. In typical Emily Winfield Martin style, the illustrations are well down and adorable. They match the words perfectly and are just sweet. The words are lyrical. It introduces the signs of Halloween: pumpkins, bats (and cats), skeletons, witch hats, etc. It has diverse children in it. It shares about getting dressed up and trick-or-treating or being at a party. It is about celebrating with friends old and new. It is just a wonderful introduction to Halloween for our youngest book lovers.
After seeing the page of the young boy and black cat making the bat garland, I had thought about finding a bat pattern to cut out for a DIY craft. I apparently was thinking like the author/publisher because they provide a pattern in the activity pages you can download (see below). I love how this book shares the spookiness of Halloween in a fun and safe way for young children. It shows the fun things that children do for Halloween with the spooky decorations in a whimsical manner.
There are free downloadable activity pages to go with this book available on the publisher's website at the bottom of the book summary. I actually had been thinking of finding a bat pattern for a craft to go with this book so apparently we are on the same page with this book!
The second book is a picture book that offers a little scariness in a safe and fun way. It reminds me a bit of one of our Halloween favorites and classic story, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. It is Scritch! Scratch! An Itchy Witchy Halloween Tale by Teri Sloat and illustrated by Zuzana Cupova. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
Scritch! Scratch! What was that? This Halloween, give readers a "safe scare" with a rhyming picture book about a group of kids outrunning a witch's itchy spell, perfect for little ones looking for a dose of extra-eerie fun!Scritch! Scratch!
What was that?
The witch!
She's in the pumpkin patch!
In the sky, through the pumpkin patch, between the trees...the kids in this story have to be crafty if they want to avoid the witch and her spell! But she is determined to keep them on their toes with a few tricks up her sleeve...
Delightfully eccentric illustrations and silly-scary rhymes make for a fresh take on the traditional Halloween story in this picture book from Teri Sloat.
From Me:
The publisher did not offer any sample pages for this book; however, they do offer some free downloadable activity pages shown above. The activities show the various style of the illustrations in the book. They are fun and whimsical. The story has children out at night with an orange full moon hearing sounds which are of course the witch in the pumpkin patch. The children run inside and light a match and watch the witch. The book introduces a witch casting a spell to young children with just the right amount of scary.
The pages are mostly grayscale with orange highlights. The illustrations lend to the scariness as well as the cuteness. It is a fun book that would be perfect for any Halloween or Summerween story time. The activity pages would be fun to do after it or perhaps have the children dress as witches. It would be a fun book to read to an early elementary class on Halloween too.
