A host of board books helps usher in the holiday fun. Shaped like a pumpkin, Corduroy's Trick-or-Treat, illus. by Lisa McCue, features the titular teddy (based on Don Freeman's series hero) as he enjoys a holiday bash. McCue's Corduroy's Merry Christmas has the cast trimming a tree, singing carols, etc. (Viking, $5.99 12p ages 1-3 ISBN 0-670-03562-9; -84477-2; Sept.)
A plastic knocker shaped like a jack-o'-lantern is affixed to the inside of the extra-long back cover included in Knock, Knock It's Halloween by Betty Schwartz, illus. by Barry Gott, so youngsters can knock away as they relate the more than 20 jokes here ("Knock, knock/ Who's there?/ Dismay./ Dismay who?/ Dismay seem/ funny to you,/ but I'm scared!"). (S&S/Little Simon, $7.99 14p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-689-84691-6; Sept.)
Three not-so-scary hand-size board books boast die-cut covers. In a Dark, Dark House, shaped like a haunted mansion, has a comic surprise ending; with its cover shaped like a jack-o'-lantern, Trick or Treat? hails the holiday's confections; while Vampire's Halloween, shaped like the caped villain himself, reveals the bloodsucker's softer side. John Bianchi illustrated all three. (Grosset & Dunlap, $4.99 each 14p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-448-42818-0; -42819-9; -42820-2; Aug.)
Holographic foil dresses up the die-cut window in two holiday titles by Harriet Ziefert and Rebecca Doughty. A pumpkin peers out from the cover on Halloween Has Boo! Within, just one silly couplet per spread ("Spiders have spin./ Pumpkins have grin") accompanies line drawings of cock-eyed characters. A trimmed tree decks the cover of Christmas Has Merry!(Handprint/Blue Apple [Chronicle, dist.], $6.95 each 8p all ages ISBN 1-929766-67-X; -66-1; Oct.)
Only a glowing jack-o'-lantern graces the die-cut cover of DK's Halloween. Inside, the board book pairs full-color photos of costumed kids with simple rhymes. (DK, $6.99 12p ages 3-5 ISBN 0-7894-8589-3; Aug.)
A trio of religious board books offers reassurance and encouragement. A boy reflects on faith in Let's Shine Jesus' Light on Halloween by Diane Stortz, illus. by Rusty Fletcher. "On Halloween/ I might see black cats,/ ...But God's power is the reason I don't/ have to be afraid." A Bible verse underscores the boy's thoughts. Other Christian-themed titles include Let's Celebrate God's Blessings on Thanksgiving by Lise Caldwell, illus. by Priscilla Burris; and Let's Remember Jesus' Birth on Christmas by Christine Harder Tangvald, illus. by C.A. Nobens. (Standard, $11.94 each 24p ages 3-8 ISBN 0-7847-1382-0; -1383-9; -1384-7; Aug.)
The Bear in the Big Blue House assuages Tutter's fears of the holiday in Eek! It's Halloween! by Laura Driscoll, illus. by Tom Leigh. Stills from the TV show are set within Leigh's drawings, which glow in the dark. (S&S/Simon Spotlight, $5.99 12p ages 1-5 ISBN 0-689-85011-5; Sept.)
An annoyed boy takes inventory of his ghost-plagued abode in Halloween Countdown, converted to board-book format from the picture book by Jack Prelutsky, illus. by Dan Yaccarino. "There are ten ghosts in the pantry,/ There are nine upon the stairs,/ There are eight ghosts in the attic,/ There are seven on the chairs." (HarperFestival, $6.99 24p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-06-000512-2; Sept.)
On the flip side, Two Little Witches: A Counting Story (1996) by Harriet Ziefert, illus. by Simms Taback, uses an ever-growing group of trick-or-treaters to teach addition skills. Taback's outlined characters stand out like black-light images against an inky black background. (Candlewick, $6.99 20p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-7636-1894-2; Sept.)
Learning mixes with fun in the next batch of titles. Molded-plastic ghosts peek out of die-cut holes on the cover and pages of the slightly oblong paper-over-board book Five Little Ghosts by William Boniface, illus. by Jerry Smath. Children start with the quintet and count down as the ghosts dwindle with each turn of the page. In Five Little Pumpkins, a handful of costumed kids purchases the titular molded plastic quintet, one by one, and transform them into jack-o'-lanterns. (PSS!, $5.99 each 12p ages 3-up ISBN 0-8431-4907-8; -4908-6; Aug.)
How Do You Know It's Halloween? a paper-over-board book by Dian Curtis Regan, illus. by Fumi Kosaka, presents more than 20 holiday riddles. (S&S/Little Simon, $6.99 24p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-689-84570-7; Sept.)
Six different colored masks (flaps) with die-cut holes for the eyes (a black cat, a blue pirate) reveal the multicultural faces beneath the disguises in Halloween Colors by Carla Dijs. (Scholastic/ Cartwheel, $6.95 12p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-439-40355-3; Sept.)
With a pop-up spooky surprise on the final spread, David A. Carter's In a Dark, Dark Wood puts a new spin on an old tale. The paper-over-board book features colors—emanating from beakers—that waft, snake-like, through the full-bleed illustrations; sturdy pages ensure durability. (S&S/Little Simon, $10.95 24p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-689-85280-0; Sept.)
Among the highlights of the compact paperback Haunting on a Halloween: Frightful Activities for Kids by Linda White, illus. by Fran Lee: a "Pumpkin-ality" chart with jack-o'-lantern design ideas, tips on creating fake blood, scars, scabs and warts, and a recipe for Severed Hand Punch (a latex glove provides the titular ingredient). (Gibbs Smith, $9.95 paper 64p ages 6-up ISBN 1-58685-112-8; Aug.)
Designed in the rounded shape of a pumpkin, The Halloween Activity Book: Creepy, Crawly, Hairy, Scary Things to Do by Mymi Doinet, illus. by Benjamin Chaud, opens with a brief history of the holiday followed by ideas for the big day. (Chronicle, $5.95 paper 32p ages 4-up ISBN 0-8118-3279-1; Oct.)
For older readers, The Real Halloween: Ritual and Magic for Kids and Adults by Sheena Morgan begins with Halloween's Celtic origins; explains current traditions, along with recipes, tricks and crafts; and details means for predicting and influencing the future. (Barron's, $14.95 paper 128p all ages ISBN 0-7641-2222-3; Aug.)
Several volumes allow kids to spend the howl-iday with familiar friends. The porcine siblings from Tuck in the Pool make an encore appearance in Tuck's Haunted House by Martha Weston. Tuck tries to banish his sister from his Halloween lair, but her presence adds a spine-tinglingly perfect finishing touch. (Clarion, $14 32p ages 4-7 ISBN 0-618-15966-5; Sept.)
Grandpa comes up with a great idea for Gus's disguise in Gus and Grandpa and the Halloween Costume, the eighth title in the beginning reader series by Claudia Mills, illus. by Catherine Stock. (FSG, $15 48p ages 6-8 ISBN 0-374-32816-1; Sept.)
Harriet the pup decides to share with her brother after all in the 20th-anniversary edition of Harriet's Halloween Candy by Nancy Carlson, now in a larger format. (Lerner/Carolrhoda, $15.95 32p ages 3-8 ISBN 0-87614-913-1; Aug.)
Gail Gibbons explains holiday roots and traditions in Halloween Is..., a companion to Christmas Is.... Whimsically decorated borders of wee ghosts and pumpkins frame the playful illustrations. (Holiday, $16.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-8234-1758-1; Sept.)
African-American children star in the newest pair of titles by Toni Trent Parker, photographed by Earl Anderson. Sweets and Treats features a line of verse beneath cameos of scarecrows, spiders and black cats; opposite, crisp photos of costumed kids appear. Christmas inspires Snowflake Kisses and Gingerbread Smiles. (Scholastic/ Cartwheel, $6.95 each 14p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-439-33871-9; -33872-7; Sept.)
