AUTHOR: Victoria Stephen
PUBLISHED BY: Olympia Publishing
I was immediately drawn to the
book by the vibrant cover and coloured illustrations which bring the story to
life. The story is told in rhyme with
graphic illustrations which are quirky with lots of detail and tell the story
very well.
The story brings alive the
tradition of Hallowe'en; children dressing up and going door to door to 'trick or
treat'. It asks the children reading which costume they will wear for Hallowe'en
and which jokes or rhymes they will tell when people open their doors to them.
The book brings home the importance
of carrying on such traditions as Hallowe'en and brings to the readers’
attention the significance of such traditions.
The book’s size makes it very manageable
for a child with small hands to hold. Plus, it has easy-to-slide pages which make it easier for small hands
eagerly wanting to turn over the page to the next part of the story, to
handle. Additionally, the cover is
wipe-clean, so important for parents who may have children with sticky fingers.
I was surprised that bobbing for
apples wasn’t included in the book as I remember as a young girl on Hallowe'en
night we always had a bowl full of water with apples floating on top which we
would try to bite without using our hands. We would also have a string put up across the room with apples hanging
from it with jam and honey smeared on them which we would try to bite into
without using our hands; great fun and great memories. We were rewarded with toffee apples which
usually a neighbour had made for us.
I enjoyed reading the book to my
six year old grandson who really loved the book and said he would read it at
Hallowe'en time each year.
Illustrations are by Gav Stewart.
Reviewer - Anne Pritchard
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