FICTION

Happy Halloween, Little Engine!

by Matt Mitter (text) & illus. by Jannie Ho
Grosset & Dunlap. (The Little Engine That Could). Aug. 2022. 16p. Board $7.99. ISBN 9780593519233.
COPY ISBN
PreS-K–The Little Engine has invited all her friends to celebrate Halloween. “‘All aboard! Find a seat, and we’ll go trick-or-treat!’/ Who’d refuse such a sweet invitation?” The friends admire everyone’s costumes as they trick-or-treat their way back to the station for a Halloween celebration: the teddy bears are ghosts, the giraffes are mummies, and Little Engine even gets in on the costume action as a pirate. The illustrations are colorful, cheerful, and age appropriate. Easy-to-flip tabs make it easier for young children to explore this book on their own. The rhyme scheme is where this book falters. Clunky rhymes such as “to the station” and “sweet invitation” make for an unsatisfying read-aloud.
VERDICT An adequate addition for libraries that need to boost their holiday board books collection.
Reviewed by Shana Shea , May 27, 2022

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