Review by Booklist Review
Ages 2^-5.On Halloween night, five little jack-o'lanterns come alive and join the trick-or-treaters. This delightfully illustrated version of the well-known rhyming finger play is complemented by watercolor pictures that evoke the autumn season, as well as the spookiness and sheer excitement of the evening's festivities. Although the book lacks the instructions for using the rhyme as a finger play, the appealing combination will add a seasonal touch to October story times.--April Judge
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"This sprightly version of the Halloween ditty is a treat," wrote PW. "Preschoolers will enjoy the bouncy rhythm and friendly characters, and the watercolors give a soft autumnal wash to the proceedings." Ages 2-6. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A picture-book version of an old finger rhyme, illustrated in watercolor and ink with one line of verse appearing on each of 10 double-page spreads. The scene is Halloween night in the country, as two smiling witches, a clown, a ghost, and a devil go trick-or-treating with a black cat to three spookily decorated Victorian houses. The children are accompanied by five jack-o-lanterns that roll along with them until it's time to go home-``and the five little pumpkins/rolled out of sight.'' This popular rhyme can be found in many anthologies, so the book is not an essential purchase. But for an atmospheric and nonthreatening Halloween experience, and for libraries that never have enough books for this popular holiday, it is a cheerful addition.-Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME (c) Copyright 2010. 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 Horn Book Review
The added dimension of the printed page in a finger-play-turned-picture-book does little to extend a text that was better suited to its original form. Van Rynbach's watercolors are animated but poorly matched with the simple rhyme; the result is a thin excuse for a Halloween story. From HORN BOOK 1995, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
