BookBairn: SpookBairn's Halloween Reads

Showing posts with label SpookBairn's Halloween Reads. Show all posts

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It’s bewitching season! I grew up loving the Worst Witch (did you?) but now there’s a whole coven of witch stories to choose from and I’ve picked some favourite series to bewitch you with!

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Were you a Brownie or Scout? I loved being a Rainbow, Brownie and Girl Guide and it seems BookBairn does too! And The Wee Page Turner loves Beavers. I, however, do not love sewing on all the badges (I've cheated now and bought fabric glue) even though collecting badges was one of my favourite parts.

What I’m not sure I would have enjoyed was being a Ghost Scout - I’m far too much of a wimp to befriend a werewolf (albeit a rather tame one), a fancy schmancy zombie, or a baseball-cap-wearing ghost.

With Halloween behind us, you would think that the spooking was over! But some monsters aren't just for Halloween - they are for every bedtime!

"Do you lie awake at night worrying about monsters?" Probably not - but you might be up and down several hundred times a night settling a little one who is! This is the Ultimate Survival Guide to Monsters Under the Bed by Mitch Frost & Daron Parton and it's perfect for anyone (big or small) who's ever been afraid of what might be lurking under the bed.

At the Goodnight Laboratory they take the Monsters Under the Bed problem very seriously. They have bubbling test tubes, blinking machines and a team of master scientists to prove it! And with all that science brainpower and technology they have written a book - this book! But does it work? Well, it's up to you to test it out.

With ten easy-to-follow steps including tidying your room, brushing you teeth and telling hilarious(!) jokes, you can rid yourself of under the bed (and cupboard) monsters for good! Some of the advice is ingenious as it really just having a good bedtime routine - tidying your toys away (because clean rooms don't have monsters) and brushing your teeth (because monsters are disgusted by minty-fresh breath), which will no doubt delight the grown-ups reading this story. Anything that helps keep rooms tidy and teeth-brushed has got to be a good thing! But it also speaks to children too with it's advice to invite all your toys for a sleepover (because monsters hate big crowds) and to tell them a funny joke (because they will immediately run off to tell their monster pals leaving your room free and clear). And if all else fails, little readers can simply close the book to activate the SAFE5000 anti-monster force field around your home (no batteries required).

Packed full of gentle humour and illustrations of not-so-scary monsters, this book really could be the antidote to the monster under the bed problem. I particularly love the illustrations of sleeping children tucked in with their own copies of The Ultimate Survival Guide to Monsters Under the Bed. How 'meta' to have included the book cover within the story! It's a humorous, colourful and a completely unique way to comfort children at bedtime. Let's hope it delivers the antidote to make all bedrooms monster-free too!

And the lovely team from Buster Books have got a great giveaway over on their social media to win a copy but they are so kind that they have given us two copies and exclusive posters to giveaway on our site too! I'll be sharing that giveaway this evening over on our social media (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook - you can find the links at the top of our blog page under the masthead but also it's easy to find us by just searching for 'BookBairn'). So don't miss that!!

To check out more reviews check out the blog banner below to see all the beds that these monsters have been creeping under!

Thanks for reading,

Kim and the bairns x

Disclaimer: We were sent a copy of The Ultimate Survival Guide to Monsters Under the Bed free for review purposes by the publishers, as part of our joining the blog tour. Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the title or image of the book you will be sent to Amazon using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on Amazon, I will receive a small sum (around 20-70p per book) from Amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.

"On Snaggletooth Lane in spooky Spooksville

was a dark creepy castle, perched high on a hill."

If that's not a fabulous beginning to a Halloween story I don't know what is! Christopher Pumpkin by Sue Hendra & Paul Linnet and illustrated by Nick East is the story of a little pumpkin called Christopher. Except, well, the story doesn't start with Christopher. It starts with a wicked old witch who lives in a dark creepy castle who wants to throw a party and to help her get all the work done in time for the party. she brings to life a big pile of pumpkins (bought for a pie). One after the other she creates Gnarly and Grizzly and Grunty and Roar and Snaggletooth and Stink Face and then just one more...

Christopher!! A pumpkin who shines with warmth and kindness and loves glitter and sparkles and group hugs! Uh oh! Determined to fit in with his more gruesome colleague Christopher volunteers for decoration duty. But where the others hang cobwebs, Christopher hangs bunting. And instead of bat lanterns, he chooses balloons. He also falls short on his not-so-scary music choices and rather delicious looking menu. The witch threatens to turn him into soup! So he begs for one last chance and stays up all night plotting and planning the scariest party ever! And when the guests (vampires, Frankenstein, mummies, werewolves and ghouls) all turn up to the castle for the party they run off screaming! As does the witch and her ghastly pumpkins! Leaving Christopher a perfectly pink rainbow adorned, unicorn guarded castle all of his own!

Packed full of hilarious, spooky and adorable illustrations as well as a cast of ghastly characters, the illustrations in this book are so much fun! The contrast between the character of Christopher and the other pumpkins as you turn each page will delight little readers and the rhythmic rhyming text is such a joy to read aloud as a grown up. The surprise ending is also one that will cause fits of giggles! Ultimately it's a book about being true to yourself and that's a super message for all little pumpkins to read!

We enjoyed this one so much that we decided to bring to life some pumpkin friends of our own. Initially I had thought that we would carve some pumpkins and for three reasons I decided to do something simpler: firstly, pumpkin carvings is gross; second, I don't think I'm creative enough to create any more than one type of pumpkin face (my husband would be better at this than me!); but mostly, it's because my husband booked us a surprise holiday away so we didn't have time! (Sorry not sorry - hopefully I'm at a spa when you're reading this, or curled up in front of a log fire reading a book!)

So instead we used some less-than-happy looking apples from our apple trees and did some printing! We cut the apples in half (supervised by a grown up) and then created little orange pumpkin-shaped prints all over our page. Once the paint had dried we added some googly eyes and using a black marker pen created all sorts of gruesome and adorable faces! I even attempted Christopher!

And as it's 31st October, all that's left to say is Happy Halloween! I hope you have a glitter filled sparkly Halloween a la Christopher or a ghastly ghoulish night if that's what you like best!

Happy Halloween!

Kim and the Spook-bairns!

Disclaimer: We were sent a copy of Christopher Pumpkin free for review purposes by the publishers, as part of our joining the blog tour. Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the title or image of the book you will be sent to Amazon using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on Amazon, I will receive a small sum (around 20-70p per book) from Amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.

Every year I love to share our favourite Halloween books - I don't quite know what it is about Halloween stories but I just love getting them all out on display and curling up and reading them. Maybe it's the autumnal weather that just makes me want to curl up and read? Maybe it's the glorious black, purple and orange colour combinations? Maybe I like a spooky story? Whatever it is - our Halloween collection is one of my favourites. And I like to add to it every year! So here are some 'new to us' picture books - some of which you will probably have discovered far sooner than us - a bit late to the game with Room on the Broom but nevermind and some of which might be new to you. If you are looking for our previous recommendations you can find them all collated under the 'Spookbairn's Halloween Reads' label!

This spooky shelf might be one of my favourite ever creations as a book blogger - it's just so cute! And I love that the covers of the books are so well co-ordinated. This is BookBairn's fourth Halloween so I've curated a great selection of Spooky Books over the years and you can read about all of them by clicking here, and two that we have returned to over and over this year are Trick or Treat by Hayley Down and Sarah Vince, and Spooky House by Aimee Chapman, Hannah Cockayne and Amy Oliver with illustrations by Dan Crisp. And this year we have added a few more to our collection.

Meg and Mog by Helen Nicholl & Jan Pienkowski

Meg and Mog by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski are a classic pair who have been haunting little readers for nearly thirty years and they still stand the test of time. Meg is preparing for a Halloween spell-fest with her friends, and Mog, her cat, tags along on her broom. But Meg's spell doesn't quite go as expected. With brilliant bright backgrounds, and characters that are enchanting, it's no wonder BookBairn is just another reader to fall under Meg and Mog's spell. A spooky joy to read!

I Am Bat by Morag Hood

I Am Bat by Morag Hood has to be BookBairn's current favourite read. It's not a surprise really as she loves Morag's other three books in this style of illustration and the crisp clear printing with simple colours and plain backgrounds really make the elements of the story stand out. It also means that there is no where to hide so the story has to be charming. And this one is. It's about a bat who likes cherries and does not want anyone, including you and your reader, to steal them. But they start to disappear. Reading this book requires a great sense of humor and some exasperated and exaggerated expressions but it's just so much fun! And BookBairn has given it her seal of approval.

A Werewolf Name Oliver James by Nicholas John Frith

A Werewolf Named Oliver James by Nicholas John Frith is my favourite new find - thank you our library - and it's the story of a little boy, Oliver James, who was just waiting for the bus when something strange happened. The moon appeared from behind a cloud and Oliver became a werewolf. And he thinks it's amazing! Until he realises that everyone he meets on his way home is frightened of him, and then he wonders what his parents are going to say when he gets home. He needn't worry as there's a wonderful twist at the end! The deep purple backgrounds give this book a wonderful eerie feel with an utterly spook-tacular little werewolf at the centre of each spread. The expressions on all the terrified passer-bys faces are wonderful and only upstaged by the perplexed look on werewolf Oliver's face. It's visually stunning and packed full of fun!

How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green

How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green was much lauded last year amongst picture book bloggers, but I didn't get a copy as I just felt BookBairn was too young for it, and to be honest she still is for the most part. Though she enjoys the illustrations and the little ghost, she doesn't really understand the humour in the book. But I wanted to share it because I love it. It's exactly what you would expect: a manual for how to make friends with a ghost. It includes a three-step guide with diagrams and recipes on everything from activities, bedtime and hiding spots. The ending is bittersweet as it talks about growing old with your ghost and then the girl character disappears and there are two ghosts instead. This touching on death and afterlife is handled very delicately but you may want to think about whether your child is at the right stage to understand this or their own experiences on this subject - you know your child best. The illustrations are adorable, and have charmed BookBairn, and I love the layout of the book. It may be one better for slightly older children but it's a wonderful book!

Funnybones by Janet & Allan Ahlberg

We got this book last year but BookBairn showed very little interest in reading it until I put it up on the shelf and she said "Mummy, that's Funnybones" after they had read it at nursery. I could have fist bumped the air as I love Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg and it's one of the few books that I remember from my childhood. I can recite the first page from memory! These three skeletons: big skeleton, little skeleton and dog skeleton are imprinted on me and now I get to enjoy the story with BookBairn. It's about these three skeletons and the wonderful mischief they get up to at night and it's a perfect example of everything a wonderful read aloud book should be. The illustrations are packed full of humour and the comic book style is great for readers like BookBairn who want to follow a slightly longer story. We just love it!

I hope you found some Spook-tacular stories here and
Happy Halloween when the time comes!

Mummy, SpookBairn and The Wee Page Vampire (who struggles to resist taking a bite out of a book!)

Disclaimer: We were bought or borrowed these books, none were gifted for review by publishers. Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the title or image of the book you will be sent to amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-70p per book) from amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.

Broomsticks, jack-o’-lanterns, haunted houses, tricks and treats, ghostly games, neighbourhood parties, skeletons, Frankenstein, candy corn… the list goes on. All things fun and fearsome come out at Halloween. There are children who countdown the days until that frightfully fantastic night when they get to dress up as anything imaginable, hang out with family and friends, and eat bucketloads of candy. The build-up adds to the excitement—carving pumpkins, decorating your home with scary spiders, tombstones and fake zombie arms, picking out your costume, baking apple pies, watching spooky movies and reading Halloween stories.

Throughout October, @kidlitpicks shared standout Halloween-themed books for your children to enjoy. These are sure to delight kids eager for the festivities to start and ease the fears of others that may be a little anxious about the hair-raising holiday. Books are good like that. We hope that you too will dust the cobwebs off your favourite Halloween stories, those scary and those not so scary, and join us! Thanks to Arielle from @childrensbooksgalore for our spooky scary theme!

Bonaparte Falls Aparte, by Margery Cuyler and Will Berry

“Bonaparte Falls Apart, by Margery Cuyler and Will Terry, is a tender story with considered and playful words, one that kids will love because of its relatable subject matter, fun, spooky characters, humorous mishaps, and the sweetest resolve.” — Summer from @readingisourthing

Maurice the Unbeastly, by Amy Dixon and Karl James Mountford

“Halloween means scary beasts, ghoulish hijinks, and . . . strange eating habits?" — Mel from @spiky_penelope

Spells, Baby Jesus, by Emily "Gribbitt" Gravett

"This book can be used as a seasonal book or a book on fairy tales." — Leah from @astoryaday

Huge Makes a Change, by Scott Emmons and Mauro Gatti

“This is a beautifully designed book and a sweet story all about the world’s cutest little vampire and his adventure discovering fruits and vegetables.” — Clarissa from @book.nerd.mommy

Trick or Treat!, by Sarah Vince and Hayley Down

“It's ingenious and so much fun to read!” — Kim from @bookbairn

One Spooky Night: A Halloween Adventure, by Kate Stone

“This festive read is perfect for preschoolers.” — Miranda from @bookbloom

Emu's Halloween, by Anne Mangan and David Cornish

“Emu's Halloween puts an Aussie spin on Halloween celebrations.” — Carissa from @bookskidslove_

Monster Needs a Costume, by Paul Czajak and Wendy Grieb

“Monster needs to find a Halloween costume!” — Arielle from @childrensbooksgalore

Fright Club, by Ethan Long

“This is a fun Halloween read with delightfully spooky illustrations that had my boys laughing throughout.” — Rossa from @curiouslittlepeople

A Monster Alphabet: The ABCs of Screams!, by Gillia M Olson

“From “A” for Afraid to “Z” for Zombies my little guys where howling in delight!” — Rossa from @curiouslittlepeople

Goldfish Ghost, by Lemony Snicket and Lisa Brown

“This not-so-scary ghost story is perfect for kids who are spooked by the usual Halloween characters and also reminds us that we all need kindness, companionship and a place to call home.” — Rossa from @curiouslittlepeople

Lola Levine and the Halloween Scream, by Monica Brown and Angela Dominguez

“Can Lola learn from her mistake and still have a Happy Halloween?” — Charnaie from @hereweeread

Fantastically Great Women who Changed the World, by Joy Keller and Misa Saburi

“A perfect not-so-spooky tale for monster lovers, truck lovers, and those that just need a good bedtime story.” — Heather from @kidlitbookbits

No Such Thing, by Ella Bailey

“Hopefully your kids will have as much fun as mine did finding all the mischievous ghosts in this not-so-spooky book.” — Anna from @kidlitcrafts

First Day at Skeleton School, by Sam Lloyd

“What a great book to read for Halloween.” — Mel from @kids.books.we.love

November is the month for counting up and counting down. Our theme, chosen and introduced by Kim @bookbairn (it's me!!!), is Counting and Numbers.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

We are fast-approaching the season of the countdown. Children are getting more and more excited counting down the days, lighting candles, opening advent calendars of all shapes and sizes – we will be having a book-a-day for our advent season. Parents are getting more and more frantic to get organised as the days disappear. It’s the time of year that everyone practises counting.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10…

A study several years ago by researchers from the Institute of Education in London found that children who receive bedtime stories from their parents as infants perform better in vocabulary and spelling but also in maths. Reading supports numeracy. Books are full of numbers and images for counting.

Next month the @kidlitpicks team will be sharing books about counting up and counting down. Join in by tagging your favourite Counting and Number books with #kidlitpicks_numbers

Happy Reading,

Mummy, BookBairn and The Wee Page Turner xx

Did you know that Halloween originated in Scotland? It's connected with the historic customs that relate to the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of summer and harvest and the beginning of the dark and cold winters. The festival symbolised the boundary between the living and the dead. So for many centuries, the Celts, and modern day Scots, set large bonfires to ward-off the ghosts and spirits. Bonfires are now predominatly saved for Guy Fawkes Night just a few nights later but all those pumpkin lanterns now do the same job (and in some parts of Scotland folks are still partial to a carved neep - turnip). Until recent years, children went guising (disguised in costumes) pretending to be evil spirits in hopes they would blend in with the spirits wandering that night. Children received a treat for warding off evil of the houses they visited. This has been replaced by the slightly americanised trick-or-treating (they still called it guising in my day) where children perform a little party trick in exchange for a treat. Dookin for apples is a Halloween party game that all Scots bairns have played which stems from the Celts who held apples as a sacred symbol. It's amazing to think how traditions have developed and changed over time. But it sounds a lots more fun these days and a lot less scary as we worry less about evil spirits roaming the streets and are more likely to see a variety of vampires, Frankensteins, ghosts, witches and a variety of superheroes and princesses at our door.

But we have started a little tradition of our own in the BookBairn house - the Haunted Shelf. As this is now BookBairn's third Halloween I have collected several spooky books (and topped up from the library) to haunt our shelves this month. Here are some of our favourites:

Halloween ABC - Jannie Ho

This is a brilliant selection of all things Halloween: perfect for introducing little ones to the idea of Halloween and this spooky season. It's a great vocabulary-builder and even this year BookBairn has enjoyed spotting things and recognising them. The illustrations are less scary and more adorable: cute monsters, silly zombies and smiling bats. Perfectly-pitched to avoid spooking toddlers but still in the spirit of Halloween. There's even a spirit or two in there! You can check out a little preview video over on our previous post 'Spook-Bairn's Halloween Reads'.

Boo - Jonathan Litton & Fhiona Galloway

This is such a fun little book about a cast of Halloween characters who are spooked by a resonating "boo" on each page. BookBairn loves turning the pages using the die-cut holes and, this year as she's a little older, she loves holding the book up and peeking through. It's got a great cast of spooky characters that are not in the least bit scary! Just great fun. And "full of spooky surprises!" Perfect for the littlest readers in your house.

Ten Spooky Skeletons - Garry Parsons

This book genuinely gave me a fright today. I turned off the light for bedtime and there was this strange glowing from the bookshelf. I forgot this one glows in the dark! A superb counting book, with excellent rhymes, an an eclectic array of scenes, this is a firm favourite. It also has cut-outs on each page and the corresponding numeral hidden in the illustration which BookBairn now enjoys finding. But mostly I love this one because I think the skeletons are adorable. They are so sweet. And they get up to some great fun! If you're looking for a super-spooky-fright(!!) you could have a sneak peek on our old post 'Halloween Hijinks' (with baby BookBairn).

Spooky House - Aimee Chapman, Hannah Cockayne, Amy Oliver and Dan Crisp

Do your kids adore a lift-the-flap book as much as BookBairn? This one has loads of flaps on every page, and spooky things hidden under each one. The illustrations in the book are spine-chillingly and hair-raisingly delightful! Whilst all of the characters are typical Halloween ghouls, they are more enchanting than bewitching! The characters are delightfully named, such as Skelly Bob, Willa the witch, Bogey Monster adding to the captivating magic of the book. There is not much of a story to the book, we simply journey through each room of the house to the party finale; however, each page treats you to a lovely rhyming couplet about the characters featured. It's 'Spook-tacular'!

Trick or Treat - Hayley Down and Sarah Vince

This is a new addition to our Halloween Shelf and it is defintely a firm favourite. I'll be surprised if BookBairn lets me hide it away for a whole year when I pack the Halloween books away. Complete with a torch so children can join in, you go on a Halloween trick-or-treating (guising!!!) adventure with two children and discover the ghouls behind each door. But don't be frightened you can reveal what's hiding underneath the costumes with your clever torch. I need more books like this. It is just magic. I did a review a couple of weeks ago on this one and we have been reading it over and over since.

I hope you enjoyed reading about some of our favourite spooky books. And have a brilliant Halloween whether you go guising or trick-or-treating (or hide in the dark hoping no-one frightening comes to call).

Happy spooking,

Mummy, SpookBairn and The Wee Monster xxx