I'm a big fan of the I Spy series, especially this one released last year by Walter Wick. Set to the tune of In a dark, dark wood.... our story begins outside a village with a grand castle in view. Each set piece and page moves us closer to solving the riddle, to the village, to a building in that village, to the stairs, a cabinet, an item in the cabinet - okay you get the picture, until the set is so small, so intricately photographed. It's amazing! The details are spectacular. The riddles are of course, excellent, and yes, some items are a challenge to find - even for smart adults, and not so smart ones like me. This is a great Halloween read for kids, and adults looking for some spooky fun this October! It's on Amazon here.
My second favorite would be the original I Spy Spooky Night. Our copy of this is barely hanging on by a thread it's been looked over so much, and I only bring it out in October! Again the pictures are fun and rich with the kind of details that fanciful dreams are made of.
I guess that's why I like these books so much. They remind me of being a kid, when things were simpler. They encourage imagination and wonder, and as an added bonus, they make us use our brains by tricking us into learning how to problem solve, how to think outside the box.
Perfect for kids and adults this time of year.
5 stars
Anyone else have a favorite Halloween read for kids? I'm always looking for new ones to add to our haunted library.
12 comments:
I love these books. They are such fun pictures to look at and there are still a few items that I haven't been able to find no matter how hard I try to see them!
A kids book I enjoy is Haunted House by Jan Pienkowski. It is a pop up book that I loved as a kid and have since added to my library for my little ones.
Oh, very cool! Thanks for sharing this!
Some of my fave Halloween reads for kids are:
Boo to you! by Lois Ehlert
The Very Brave Witch by Alison McGhee
Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler
Thanks!
I try to buy a couple a year so I'll add these to the list! They sound really cute.
I have that J.P. book but I try to keep it up for now as my 3 year old would love the pop-outs a little too much! It is a really cool book though.
I get the biggest kick out of kids telling a scary story they've heard. I love the pause they give at the end to see if you'll believe what they've told you, and the looks on their faces as they wait for your reaction. My kids have always loved the I-Can-Read Books with Alvin Schwatz's ghost stories. They're probably non-threatening because they're so simple. They do love The Green Ribbon ("Why do you always wear that ribbon around your neck?").
I bought an adaptation of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and that's pretty fun if you get in the right mood, and try to clear your mind of the Disney cartoon version of Ichabod Crane.
Another fun one, in light of recent interest in vampires, is the Bunnicula series by James Howe. It's about a rabbit that is a vampire. It's a good one for elementary age kids.
And one more thing: I went to an exhibit of Walter Wick's photos/models at the BYU Museum of Art last spring and it was fabulous! He is a gifted artist and must have incredible patience as he makes and photgraphs his models. He also has some really cool optical illusion books that he has done.
I LOVE Bunnicula!!! I know I am an adult and it is for kids but I still find myself listening to the audio books I have of three of them when I go on trips. I have Bunnicula, Nighty-Nightmare and Howliday Inn and the actor doing the voices does a great job! Very entertaining on trips.
I bet that exhibit was really cool, something I would have liked to see.
This sounds sooo fun! I love books like this. I'll have to pick one up!
this sounds like a good one as i like visual puzzles.
How cool to see a Walt Wick exhibit! Man, nothing ever comes here.
These books are a blast. I got mine both at Target.
I didn't know there was an I Spy halloweeny book. I always loved those. They're gorgeous. I hadn't heard of the first book, either. Good choices. :)
Anything that distracts the kids from bugging me is a safe bet in my, ah..book..
:D
This sounds great! My kids would like that.
Our favorite Halloween kids books -- the ones that read every year and I now have memorized :-) (I don't have the books in front of me since I'm at the downstairs computer so I don't know the authors -- you would think I'd have those memorized by now too!)
The Big Pumpkin -- about a witch and this really big pumpkin she grows and she wants to make it into pie but needs help.
Ten Timid Ghosts -- my kids love this one and we practice counting.
Halloween ABC's -- has the most gorgeous illustrations and we practice letters with it. I can get the author if you want to know.
Little Critter Goes Trick or Treating -- because we love all things Mercer Mayer!
Max and Ruby's Halloween -- because we love all things Rosemary Wells :-)
The Little Witch's Supermarket -- an older book that my daughter loves.
Great list! The Big Pumpkin is one of my kids favorites. I'll check those other ones out. The counting ones sound fun too. Now if only all things Halloween would go on sale!!! I hate paying full price, but it's so hard to wait.
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