If animals trick-or-treated

On Halloween, Owlet finds that every animal celebrates the scariest time of the year differently. From Hatchling and Papa Crocodile's segmented croc-o'-lantern with the "sneee-eeery smile" to Raccoon's "garbage-fudge squares," each animal's traditions feel unique to its species. Refreshingly, Halloween regulars (such as bats) mingle with animals not often featured (such as an armadillo). As in previous entries in the series, lines of text sometimes curve (like a smiling jack-o'-lantern) or sway (like an eerie breeze), which is appropriate and effective for this particular book's design given the subject matter. Walker's brightly colored critters contrast nicely with the dark and starry night. Jake Koniszewski September/October 2022 p.45(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

We've seen how Paul and Walker's adorable animals celebrate Thanksgiving; what about Halloween? All the Halloween check boxes are ticked for the littlest listeners, and Paul zooms in on Mama and little Owlet at they complete each one: carving pumpkins, decorating, donning costumes, and trick-or-treating. Interspersed among these, other animals join in on the festivities. Bat adds fangs to her pumpkin, and "Hatchling would beg Papa Crocodile / to carve his pumpkin a sneee-eery smile." (Cleverly, their pumpkin croc features an oblong pumpkin carved sideways with successively smaller pumpkins for the body.) Bushes and trees get festooned with spiderwebs and orange-and-black steamers, and, somewhat disturbingly, "Vulture chicks would scat-scatter fresh skeleton bones / close to a cluster of old tombstones." Costumes include the traditional (superhero, mummy, witch) as well as some creative twists (Zebra Foal wears "a costume of spots" that resembles a giraffe's hide; Little Leopard dons a striped costume). Treats match the giver: Parrot gives seeds, Armadillo passes out chocolate ants, and Raccoon offers "garbage-fudge squares." Page turns and line breaks sometimes interrupt the rhythm of the verses, though the rhymes are pretty spot-on. Walker's scenes start during the day and gradually fade to night, when the illustrations almost seem to glow, gentle stars in the sky shining down, and the shared book at the close is the ideal end to a busy day.(This book was reviewed digitally.) A cute introduction to Halloween for youngsters. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.