Halloween books a treat for whole family

For children, the wait for Halloween seems endless. And then the festivities are over all too soon. But the right books and activities can help families savor this special time of the year.

Laurie Rose, youth services librarian at the Orono Public Library, and Anne Mundy, head of children’s services at the Bangor Public Library, shared some of their fall favorites.

Rose believes the challenge of choosing Halloween books for young children is in finding books that are creepy, but not scary enough to give them nightmares. Her all-time favorite to read aloud is “The Witch’s Hat,” by Tony Johnston.

“A witch drops her hat in a magic pond,” Rose said. “It turns into various things. Children love the rhyming, repetition and absurdity.”

Another Johnton book Rose recommends is “The Soup Bone.” “A lady looks for a bone and ends up finding a skeleton that becomes her friend,” she said. “They even go trick-or-treating together. It has neat language. It’s scary enough for kids. And it has a happy ending.”

At story hours when Rose reads “The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything,” by Linda Williams, , she lets the children act out the parts. The little old lady takes a walk at night and is challenged by strange and frightening encounters.

For children who may have never experienced Halloween before and young ones who might find it frightening to see siblings and friends transformed into scary creatures, Mundy chooses Lorna Balian’s “Humbug Witch.”

“When a witch takes off all her trappings you find out that she’s just a little girl,” Mundy said. It’s such a dear story.”

Another reassuring story Mundy enjoys is “A Tiger Called Thomas,” by Charlotte Zolotow, in which a trick-or-treating boy comes to enjoy his new neighborhood.

Jean Titherington’s “Pumpkin Pumpkin” provides families with a fun seasonal activity. In the book, a boy grows a pumpkin and carves a jack-o’-lantern. He is careful to save seeds to plant the next year.

Rose finds that older children enjoy Alvin Schwartz’s “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” and its many sequels. The series can be a big hit at class parties when several stories are recorded.

For teens who want to create a scary audio or videotape, Mundy suggests the works of Edgar Allen Poe.

Rose recommends Stephanie Tolan’s “Save Halloween” for older children who enjoy thinking about ethical dilemmas and reading about believable characters in difficult situations.

In the book, a girl from a fundamentalist preacher’s family is put in charge of her school’s Halloween play.

When her uncle arrives in town to lead a religious revival he wants to ban Halloween observances for young people.

The protagonist is torn between her family’s values and what she wants to do for her school.

“It gives kids a chance to think about values,” Mundy said.

Rose and Mundy agree that “A Newbery Halloween,” collected by Charles G. Waugh and Martin Greenberg, is as good as it gets.

It’s a collection of short stories by Newbery Award-winning authors.

For children of all ages and families in search of quality time together, Mundy recommends “Family Fun Tricks and Treats.”

“It’s by the magazine Family Fun,” she said. “I enjoy that so much. It has activities, costumes, party decorations, cookery and handicrafts.”

Just think, with the right inspiration your child may be able to help bake treats for a class party, decorate your home, or create a costume for a younger sibling.

What might be otherwise for you another item on a too long “to-do” list could become fun and a real source of treasured memories for a son or daughter.