Barn Dance!

This one is a good option if you are looking for books that aren't Halloween, but still invoke the season.

 Barn Dance!

Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

illustrated by Ted Rand 1986

The farmer's son "with questions in his head, much too full of wonderment to spend the night in bed, He was up about an' list'nin'..."

When the night owl said, 

Come a little closer...

Come a little closer...

Listen to the night...

There's magic in the air...

There's magic in the air indeed!  The scarecrow "with a fiddle underneath his chin" has called up all the farmyard animals to a right proper barn dance.  Not only does the farmer's son watch all the turkeys and mules and pigs dancing round, he becomes part of the hoedown himself!  The rhyming text is fun to read aloud and Rand's colorful barn dance pictures contrast with the quiet moonlight shadows outside.

The Jumbies

The Jumbies

Tracey Baptiste

This was a new author to me and I was so happy to find her!  Combining Caribbean folk lore and magic and a plucky heroine, the story is just creepy and scary enough for young readers.  Even better was finding out that this is the first book of a series!

A fun recommendation for Halloween spooky reading!

Alfi and the Dark

Alfi and the Dark

Sally Miles

pictures by Errol Le Cain

 Somehow Sally Miles manages to tell a story about the Dark that is both curious and comforting.  Alfi, not afraid of the Dark, wants to know where it goes when he switches on the light.  Soon he is having a conversation with the Dark who promises to tell him his secret.  Cleverly Le Cain's anthropomorphized Dark can be seen on each page.

Bobo's Dream

Bobo's Dream

Martha Alexander 1970

A cute wordless book where Bobo the dachshund dreams of saving his owner from big bullies.  

 

 

Hildilid's Night

This is a good one from our collection of books illustrated by Arnold Lobel.  (Who am I kidding?  All of his books are good ones!). 

 

Hildilid's Night

Cheli Duran Ryan

illustrated by Arnold Lobel 1996

Hildilid hates the night and tries to get rid of it in a variety of ways- sweeping it, stuffing it in a sack, tying it up, feeding it to her dog, drowning it, shearing it, boiling it, even spanking it (which cracked us up!).  Finally she realizes that she must simply ignore it as it ignored her.

Bears in the Night

Bears in the Night

Stan and Jan Berenstain 1971

An early Berenstain Bears book that teaches direction words.  What happens when a group of bears climb out their window to follow a strange sound?  They go up and down, over, under, around, and through the woods to find a surprise!

Real Science Riddles

Real Science Riddles

Rose Wyler

pictures by Talivaldis Stubis 1971

This book is a real prize of graphic design!  The riddles are pretty standard fare, but the pictures are so much fun!  Talivaldis Stubis was an artist and graphic designer (he died in 2010).  I'm sure I've seen his work before.  Definitely check out the posters that he designed (Camelot, Funny Girl)