Mouse and Mole prepare for Halloween in the sixth book of Yee’s popular series.
In the first chapter, Mouse excitedly decorates for the holiday. Mole is not sure he likes Halloween—too scary. The next chapter finds the two hunting for the perfect pumpkin. Mole and Mouse go about the search differently. Mouse cannot believe how many pumpkins there are: “Eeny, meeny, miny mumpkin / Which of you will be my pumpkin…? / You’re it!” Mole is more careful. After tapping, turning and tugging them, he finds one he likes. Then it is time for the Pumpkin Carving Contest. Mouse’s has mismatched eyes, an “itty-bitty” nose, “crooked teeth” and a leafy hairdo. She wins “for the silliest jack-o’-lantern!” Mole makes his pumpkin early and keeps it hidden. When the judges look, it is “…sunken / and lumpy and smelly. / The once perfect eyes / were now squinty slits. / The smile had turned into a frown.” Mole wins “for the sc-scariest j-jack-o’lantern!” Newly independent readers will find much humor and some challenging words, but Yee’s small gouache-and–litho pencil illustrations cue perfectly. The final chapter focuses on how the duo overcomes Mole’s fear of trick-or-treating. Mouse, ever the problem-solver, reads Mole a story about how two scared friends can be brave when they are together. This story within the story truly shows how sharing a good book with a friend can work wonders.
Superb! (Early reader. 5-8)
