HALLOWEEN PARTY

A good read-aloud choice is Shute's lively, rollicking poem that describes all the guests, games, and fun that take place at an annual Halloween party. On the way to the party, children will encounter glowing jack-o-lanterns, yowling cats, and hooting owls; once there, they'll find buckets of worms, bowls of slime, and cobwebs galore. The guests are strange and mysterious: monsters, Medusas, wizards, and wombats. There are snacks, like the appropriate devil's-food cupcakes, games, and music. At midnight, all the guests unmask, and there's a scary (though not too scary) surprise that greets them. A humorous Halloween tale, marred slightly by the somewhat crude and inept illustrations. (Fiction. 5+)