HAPPY SPOOKY HALLOWEEN!

In this offering from the NBA legend, the author of two self-esteem-building picture books, some kids find Halloween frights too frightening.

Zara is excited: “This year, Halloween was extra special. The fifth graders at Hickory Elementary always throw a party for the kindergarten class, and Zara and her classmates were finally on the invitation list.” But when the big day arrives, Zara and the other kindergartners are freaked out by what the fifth graders have cooked up: The school gym has been decked out with life-size witches and wolves—and none of the funny ghosts and high-fiving skeletons that Zara had hoped for. It’s up to Zara to tell the fifth graders (in language that sounds suspiciously like that of an adult) that they’ve missed the mark: “Halloween is about more than scaring others, it’s about having fun and being together. It’s about community.” Their eyes now opened, the fifth graders work with the kindergartners to create “the best Halloween yet!” This one is too much of a scold and too formulaically written to be much fun. With cushiony art rich in secondary colors, Landy capably captures the emotional extremes experienced by Zara and the other kindergarten cutie-pies. Zara is brown-skinned with curly dark hair in space buns; the supporting cast is diverse.

Endearing characters, but the message feels too heavy-handed to entice young trick-or-treaters.