Many creatures live at the old haunted house with their children, including one small witch, two little monsters, three kittens, four goblins, five werewolves, and more.

Brilliantly colored illustrations to go with a rhyming story about all the creatures of a haunted house getting ready for a Halloween party. I got this one free on my Kindle. ( )

In this poetic book that tells what the creatures of the old haunted house are doing on Halloween, it is a retrograde parody on the Twelve Days of Christmas. It tells, in increasing number, what the parent ghoul and their little ones are doing to prepare for Halloween. SPOILER ALERT! The ghouls are scared by a few trick-or-treaters, but they do have a party in the Old Haunted House. My only concern with this book, and I noted it the first time I read it to students was that it could pose a problem because the children do what every parent has told their child(ren)NOT to do: Go into the house of a stranger and eat any food without a parent's supervision. So I made a "teachable moment" about not going into someone's house that you don't know, and not eating anything without parents checking it for safety first. ( )

I found this book to be an interesting read because it comfortably introduces children to children to the infamous spooks of Halloween, including witches, ghosts, and vampires. I think that children from grades K-2 would most enjoy the silly and vibrant illustrations and fun rhymes. I particularly liked how this book provides a fun way to encourage children to practice their counting skills as well as their reading as they venture through the spooky creatures’ process of making a Halloween feast, which trick-or-treaters are invited to. At the end of the book, humans and creatures alike party all night long. “The vampire band played music all night, and they all had fun at the Halloween Fright!” I especially appreciated how the author had the creatures and humans overcome their differences and learned to enjoy their company as they partied in unison all night long. ( )

Washington Children's Choice Nominee (2016)