Not Very Scary

PreS-Gr 2—Melly encounters some unexpected visitors when she walks to her cousin Malberta's Halloween party. As she wanders down the street, she first meets a black cat ("not the least bit scary"), then a duo of dancing skeletons, and her ever-so-slight creeps and chills grow. The list of spooky creatures builds and builds as Melly continues her evening stroll. Her dynamic expressions correspond with the goblins and ghouls around her. Melly responds, "Not especially scary!" when "seven frenzied fruit bats" appear on the scene, and her comments increase in urgency; she cries, "Not extraordinarily scary!" when she stumbles across "eight spindly spiders." Melly is a sight to behold with her sharp horns, green face, and striped stockings; she looks like she fits right in with the cast of only oh-so-eerie characters she meets along the way. When she arrives at the festivities, she realizes that her accompanying menagerie includes friendly partygoers instead of the spooky haunts she believed them to be. This fast-paced read aloud will suit the many young listeners interested in just a dash of spookiness with their Halloween adventures.—Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC