Scary Shark: A Jaw-Some Halloween by Mike Lowery (Orchard Books, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Edgar the shark is too scared of everything having to do with Halloween to want to go trick-or-treating, so his friend Lotta the crab eases him into it. They start by carving pumpkins (Lotta uses claws, Edgar uses teeth), then move on to decorating, and finally costumes. After deciding to be Count Sharkula, Edgar freaks out a little when he sees monsters outside his window, but Lotta shows him they’re just friends in costumes. Finally, Edgar’s ready to join the fun, and the two swim out the door and into a spooky underwater town just right for trick-or-treating.
I’m familiar with Mike Lowery’s Gingerbread Man books, but I didn’t know about his shark series, which includes Pizza Shark and Santa Shark. They’re sure to be popular with their comic-style artwork, lots of cartoon bubbles, and puns galore. One can never have too many Halloween books, and this one will be a big hit.
The Gift of Words by Peter H. Reynolds (Orchard Books, available October 7, 40 pages, ages 4-8). In this follow-up to Reynolds’s The Word Collector, Jerome is looking for some good holiday words to add to his collection and to give as gifts to his family and friends. In town, he sees words like, “Sale!”, “Cheap stuff!”, and “Violators will be towed”, none of which seem right for the holidays. The newsstand is even worse, with its headlines about war, poverty, and climate change. Jerome tries listening to the words around him, but they turn out to be complaints or angry commands (“Hurry up!”). He goes back home, where he pulls a selection of the right words from his collection, then heads to the park to decorate a tree. He invites others to add their own words, and before long, the tree is covered with words such as listen, hope, and epiphany, as well as phrases like peace on earth and savor each moment.
Like many Peter H. Reynolds books, the message isn’t exactly subtle (in case you missed it, the last page says “‘Share your positive words. May they inspire peace on Earth.’ – Peter H. Reynolds”), but this is a lovely book for the winter season that spreads a positive message without specifying a particular holiday. The ending practically begs for a bulletin board featuring a tree that kids can decorate with their own words.
Thanks to Scholastic for providing me with review copies of both of these books!