Review by New York Times Review
More cute than creepy, this lullaby follows two monsters from classroom to bedtime routine. Its somewhat simplistic, off-kilter rhymes falter a bit at the end, but the narration benefits enormously from witty illustrations by Murphy ("Hush Little Dragon"), which abound in slithery, sinister asides: a stacking toy stacks on a bone; a Totoro-like ghost trails a larger figure. And googly-eyed monsters eat worm-ridden salad. Slurp. LITTLE GOBLINS TEN By Pamela Jane. Illustrated, by Jane Manning. 32 pp. Harper/HarperCollins Publishers. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 7) The classic counting rhyme "Over in the Meadow" goes spooky in this Halloween riff, which should endure well past Oct. 31. Beginning with its opening "big mommy monster/and her tittle monster one," readers are rewarded with ample humor and wit. Manning's ghosts, zombies and dragons look as if they've just emerged from a color-saturated waterworld. And there's a sweetness to the parental-offspring interactions in the playful, alliterative text. BONE DOG Written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann. 32 pp. Roaring Brook Press. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Genuine goose bumps arise from this moving story of a boy and his recently deceased dog by Rohmann, who won the Caldecott Medal in 2003 for "My Friend Rabbit." At once heartbreaking and heartwarming, "Bone Dog" recounts the enduring friendship between Gus and Ella, who promises always to be with her human companion. "A promise made under a full moon cannot be broken," she says. In this exceptional book, wishes come true on Halloween. THE 13 NIGHTS OF HALLOWEEN, written and illustrated by Guy Vasilovich. 40 pp. Harper/HarperCollins Publishers. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Vasilovich's first book as author as well as illustrator tweaks "The 12 Days of Christmas" by pitting a flame-haired Kewpie against a ghoulish backdrop of marching mutants, singing skulls, icky eyeballs and their Allhallows ilk. The wildly purple illustrations will more than distract from the occasionally disappointing text. (Why not "witches warbling" or "witches whispering" instead of "witches witching"?) But the bats wearing baseball caps, the eyeball flowers and the corpses caroling are wickedly original. FRANGOLINE AND THE MIDNIGHT DREAM By Clemency Pearce. Illustrated by Rebecca Elliott. 32 pp. Chicken House/Scholastic $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Another moon, another saucer-eyed minx! (What did Halloween heroines look like pre-Tim Burton?) Redheaded Frangoline is a do-gooder girl: "Pure as milk and good as gold,/She always did as she was told." Until sundown that is, when, unbraided, she re-emerges as a fiery-haired daredevil. "I'll do exactly as I please!/I'm Frangoline!' she said," goes the refrain. Parents will love the girl's gumption, and children will adore her irreverence. Elliott's dark, scratchy, animated drawings will please both. PAMELA PAUL ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 16, 2011]
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a gently spooky spin on "Over in the Meadow" that counts up to 10, various ghouls and beasts groan, swoop, and haunt. Jane has fun playing within the nursery rhyme's parameters, whether peeking in on a family of zombies (" 'Stare!' said the mommy; 'We stare,' said the three"), howling werewolves (dressed in patchwork overalls), or a rattling "father skeleton/ And his little skellies eight." Manning's quirky and expressive monster families are 10 kinds of cute. Ages 3-7. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-"Over in the Meadow" gets a Halloween makeover in this picture book. Starting with "a mommy monster and her little monster one," spooky beasties including ghosts, mummies, skeletons, bats, and goblins cavort in the woods while counting from 1 to 10. Manning's muted blue-green, brown-orange illustrations fill the spreads with kid-friendly monsters, although the zombies are a bit creepy. The lack of numerals on the pages limits the story's usefulness as a counting book. Libraries in need of monster-filled Halloween tales may consider this as an additional purchase.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT (c) Copyright 2011. 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
This Halloween version of the "Over in the Meadow" rhyme stars ghosts, zombies, witches, bats, and other spooky creatures. Within the rhyming and counting framework, young monsters are also instructed on how to behave: little werewolves howl, skeletons rattle, etc. Comical illustrations full of shading and texture provide warmth for these typically fearsome creatures. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Numerous titles interpreting "Over in the Meadow" have been published, but trust the team of Jane and Manning to conjure up an impressive new vision in time for Halloween.Set in a fantastical land dominated by watery blues, greens and grays and punctuated by warm reds and yellows, Manning's tale presents ethereal ghosts, country-bumpkin werewolves, parading mummies, screeching witches, happy bats and boogieing skeletons that readers will instantly want to have as friends. The preschool set should find comfort in seeing how loving and attentive the ghoulish moms and dads are with their offspring. Parents may see a bit of themselves here as well. (Mothers, especially, may chuckle at the staring zombie mom pictured in disheveled attire with her tongue hanging out.) Even though this is essentially a counting rhyme, the author elevates the reading and listening experience with interactive rhyming text that is rich with alliteration and strong action words: The monster "scared and he scampered," ghosts "hid and they haunted," witches "crowed and they cackled" and bats "swooped in the shadows." The story begins and ends with the green-horned monster mommy and her little monster one" 'Trick or treat?' asked the mommy; / 'Treat!' cried the one. / So they skipped off together / For some Halloween fun!"Truly satisfying. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
