It's that spooky time of year again and we have a real treat of a book to share with you! I ordered a few books for BookBairn in t...

Trick or Treat

Monday, October 16, 2017 BookBairn 25 Comments



It's that spooky time of year again and we have a real treat of a book to share with you! I ordered a few books for BookBairn in the lead-up to Halloween, having forgotten quite how many I had stashed in the box of Halloween decorations, and one of them has really really shone brightly!

'Trick or Treat!" by Hayley Down and illustrated by Sarah Vince is an exceptional book that is a true adventure for little ones. This super book tells a story about Meg and her little brother Michael who go out on a trick-or-treating adventure for Halloween. As they make their way down the street, Michael has the heebie-jeebies as each door opens and he encounters a spooky creature. But, Meg uses her torch to show Michael that things aren't as they seem - until the final house, that is!


Wonder what makes it so magical? You get your own little torch to join in. Still wondering why that's so special? You shine the blue light on the white spaces in the illustrations to reveal hidden pictures! And it works even better in the dark! (I tried to photograph it but it's quite tricky to really capture the magic so trust me it's even better in real life.)


BookBairn absolutely adores this book! Adores it! We read it several times a day and have more or less lived in the dark so we can enjoy it. She loves uncovering the normal people under the costumes. But the final house - that's her favourite! The skeletons inside are terrified of Meg and Michael when they open the door but Michael thinks quickly and shines the torch on himself and shows that both him and Meg are skeletons too! At this point BookBairn turns the torch on herself and me and says "we are bones too!" and then she checks her cuddly toy lion, Louis, "he's too squishy - no bones". I love reading it with her just for that moment where she makes connections between the story and her life. That's a powerful book!

The storyline is sweet and great preparation for a night out guising (Scots for trick-or-treating), the illustrations are adorable and so appealing in their black-and-white outlines, but it's that little torch that creates real magic! It's a brilliant read.

Happy spooking,
Mummy and BookBairn xx


*I bought this book for BookBairn but it's not widely available in the UK - if you like the sound of it I recommend that you check out The Book People or Book Depository to find it. (This is not sponsored in any way - I just want to make it easy for you to find the book.)



25 comments:

  1. This is the book we read the last time I did storytime with BookBairn on the beautiful chair. She loved it and the use of the torch is just pure magic.

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    1. It really is! Such a clever idea! We read it today - of course!

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  2. This looks like a fabulous book and your photos do give an idea of how it works. I love that the colour of Book Bairn's outfit matches the cover of the book :o)

    #ReadWithMe

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    1. Thanks Catherine - not the easiest to capture! And yes, she was well-coordinated! (Totally on purpose!)

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  3. Oh this looks fantastic, and what a great way to interact with a book! Spooktastic indeed. Thanks for sharing with #readwithme

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    1. Such good fun - I need to find more books like this one!

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  4. A book with a torch is very cool and I love the way the illustrations seem to glow!

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    1. It's such a good idea. The pictures are revealed by the torch - you can't see any of it without it!

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  5. Ahh I've seen books like this before with the torch trick, so clever! I love that BookBairn made the connection with our own skeletons too! #KLTR

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    1. I hadn't seen any before - would love your recommendations!

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  6. Happy haunting out xx 👻

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    1. Thanks - I hope you will come haunting with us!

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  7. I love the sound of this book and i think my daughters would love the torch and hidden pictures. #kltr

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    1. Such a great way to engage kids. Think it would be super for reluctant readers too.

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  8. I need to get this book. My boys would love it!

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  9. How fabulous!! My Little Man is probably a little too old but he'd love the concept of shining a torch on the pictures.
    #KLTR

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    1. I'm going to have to find more books like this one!

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  10. The grandchildren would love this. We already have torches for reading bedtime stories. I must look for this one
    #KLTR

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    1. We've never read by torchlight before but after this one I think BookBairn would love it!

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  11. I just love the look of this one! My kids go crazy for anything that involves a torch!! #readwithme #kltr

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    1. That reminds me I need to get our shine-a-light books back out! Thanks Kate x

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  12. Wow this is awesome. I have never seen a book like this but it looks fab and I would love to get this for my daughter. Thanks for sharing. Happy Halloween. KLTR.

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    1. It's great fun! Happy Halloween to you too!

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  13. Oh wow what a super cool feature in a book - how fun! Thanks for linking up to #KLTR

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