Natasha Wing has created a series of kids books that play off of the poem “The Night Before Christmas”. Paired up with Cynthia Fisher’s art, The Night Before Halloween is a not-so-scary tribute to many Halloween traditions that kids enjoy. This is a favorite in our house, even when it is not Halloween season.
The book starts out with good-natured monsters gathering at a spooky house, preparing for a party with trick-or-treaters. They decorate inside and make witch’s brew before they have to go to bed at dawn. Meanwhile, children are sleeping and dreaming of candy. Halloween day arrives and the kids enjoy traditional Halloween events, like bobbing for apples, hay rides, and trick-or-treating. While the kids are out trick-or-treating, they realize that they forgot one house – the spooky house on top of the hill. They are scared off when the not-so-scary witch answers the door. The monsters inside were sad that the kids ran off, but decide to have fun anyway and continue with their Halloween party.
We have many of the books in this series, and each one is illustrated and laid out similarly. Fisher uses soft colors and lines to make each page friendly and full of activity for kids to look at. Wing is clever in her rendition of the original “The Night Before” poem for each holiday, making it fun to read over and over again. This book is a must-have for young trick-or-treaters or any Halloween fan!
I’ll leave you with the words from one of my favorite pages in the book:
“Jack-o’-lanterns were set out on porches with care.
Their grins seems to say, ‘knock if you dare.’
Gypsies and pirates and zombies in rags,
grabbed their bright flashlights and trick-or-treat bags.”