Spooky, Scary Skeletons by Andrew Gold

I rarely review picture books but here's one about Halloween.

What worked:

The entire narrative uses the same song lyrics as a 1996 YouTube video with the same title. The book begs to be read aloud as the lyrical lines take on a whole new life when they’re heard. Even better, readers should watch the video first so the tune is fresh in their minds. The descriptive words touch on different senses and young readers should be encouraged to notice this. “Shivers”, “shrieking”, and “screech” are a few examples.

The imaginative illustrations are the highlight of the book as they tell the real story. It begins with a group of kids applying their skeleton costumes before heading out for Trick or Treating. The background shades of color create the feeling of sunset which perfectly fits the story’s setting. Readers’ attention will focus on these children going door to door but be sure to look for other costumed characters and details in the setting. Drawings of skeletons mirror the children’s movements and help connect the book to the video.

What didn’t work as well:

The illustrations don’t clearly communicate the plot described in the book’s synopsis and they don’t directly reflect the narrative. It’s hard to see how the children “take their scares too far”. Young readers will probably need help interpreting facial expressions and summarizing the sequence of events.

The final verdict:

The author perfectly captures the mystique and frolicking of children on Halloween night. The colorful pictures will enchant young readers and I recommend you give it a shot!