HALLOWEEN LESSON PLANS

Bella Legrossi is the messiest monster in all of Booville. Her slime is the slimiest and her grime is the grimiest. Alas, she is neighbors with Boris Kleanitoff, a persnickety ghoul so tidy he vacuums his vampire bats. What could ever bring these two together?

It will take a Halloween party like no other--a full creature-feature of beasts, ghosts, and creepy-crawlies, and some of the fanciest dance moves since Morrie Mummy shook a leg clean off. So grab a mug of ghoul drool and join the fun!

Wicked wit Carolyn Crimi and illustrator Gris Grimly have put their heads together (along with a few they found in the graveyard) and cooked up the funniest, funkiest, and out-and-out freakiest monster mash you've ever seen!
--Harcourt 2004

A sweet little cat drives a man to insanity and murder....

The grim death known as the plague roams a masquerade ball dressed in red....

A dwarf seeks his final revenge on his captors....

A sister calls to her beloved twin from beyond the grave....

Prepare yourself. You are about to enter a world where you will be shocked, terrified, and, though you'll be too scared to admit it at first, secretly thrilled. Here are four tales -- The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, Hop-Frog, and The Fall of the House of Usher -- by the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. The original tales have been ever so slightly dismembered -- but, of course, Poe understood dismemberment very well. And he would shriek in ghoulish delight at Gris Grimly's gruesomely delectable illustrations that adorn every page. So prepare yourself. And keep the lights on.
--Atheneum Books for Young Readers 2004

In a hauntingly scary tale of bewitchment and fright, master storyteller Virginia Hamilton has created her own shivery goose bumps story filled with drama and suspense. But witches, beware!

Here's a wild night ride so hair-raising, it might make you jump right out of your skin…
--The Blue Sky Press 2004

There are sneaking, creeping, crumpling noises coming from inside the walls.

Lucy is sure there are wolves living in the walls of their house -- and, as everybody says, if the wolves come out of the walls, it's all over. Her family doesn't believe her. Then one day, the wolves come out. But it's not all over. Instead, Lucy's battle with the wolves is only just beginning.
--HarperCollins 2003
Scary, sinister, well written and hauntingly illustrated

"When crotchety old witch Hepzibah is given a human child to take care of, she's horrified ('not a wart on her, poor thing'). And when, after years of careful training in witchery, the child, Halloween, asks for human playmates. Hepzibah is aghast." Good book about acceptance.

And so it begins. Stories about Under-the-Bed Monsters, Bunk-Bed Monsters, Closet Monsters, Basement Monsters, Attic Monsters, Shadows (good at pretending to be monsters), School Monsters, Man-Made Monsters and much much more. Great treat to read! Pick one monster a night.

Dr. Smart Pig is a famous inventor, but he doesn't have any friends. His brothers were eaten by the Big Bad Wolf, and now he's all alone. Halloween is coming up, and he doesn't have anyone to go trick-or-treating with. Suddenly, Dr. Pig has an idea. He can invent a friend - a pig who is bigger and better and absolutely wolf-proof! But things don't turn out quite as expected, and soon Dr. Pig realizes he's created a monster - an enormous porker who hogs the show but ultimately proves that true friendship comes in all shapes, sizes, and appetites. Who ate the Big Bad Wolf? Porkenstein, that's who!
--Blue Sky Press

A very different and refreshing change from the "norm."

A 22 page Pop-Up Book Treat.  Great for home or classroom dramatic screeching.

Baby-Preschool
ORDER: HARDCOVER

A very clever incorporation of counting, expressing fears, comfort and safety in sleep. The Collage illustrations add just the right amount of scare to these imaginary monsters.

Ages 5-8
ORDER: HARDCOVER

Hip, an exuberant hippo, and Hop, a persnickety rabbit are best friends.  They both want to be pumpkins for Halloween but bossy Hop says they can't have the same costume.

Read to find out how they work it out.

Miss Irma Birmbaum is the toughest teacher in town. How mean is she? She's so mean she assigns homework on Halloween!

On Halloween night, while driving home from school, she is stopped by an alien spacecraft and is transformed into The Fifty-Foot Teacher!

Will Miss Birmbaum spoil Halloween? Will she get a heart? Will she remember what it was like to be a child? You'll have to read it to find out.

The illustrations of Miss Birmbaum, in particular her glasses and her legs are hysterical.

Ages 4-7
ORDER@AMAZON

"Do you want to go on a ghost hunt
to catch a trick-or-treat ghost?
We're not afraid.
No, we're not afraid.
No, we're not afraid at all!

Looking high.
Looking low.
Off on a ghost hunt.
Here we go!"

A collection of original scary stories, poems, riddles, and jokes, combined with works by such writers as Ogden Nash and Bobbi Katz, offers frighteningly funny illustrations that help children laugh at their own imaginary monsters.

Complemented by delightfully freaky illustrations, a playful, bone-chilling take on the nursery rhyme about the house that Jack built, and all its spooky inhabitants.

Ages 4-8
ORDER@AMAZON

Boris, Mossis, Doris and Norris (the Know-Nothings) didn't know much. They want to trick-or-treat and bob for apples, but they don't know anyone named Bob and they don't know any tricks!

They did however, end up having a very special Halloween.

Ages 4-8
ORDER@AMAZON

"Cinderella Skeleton
Was everything a ghoul should be:
Her build was long and lean and lank:
Her dankish hair hung down in hanks;
Her nails were tellow; her teeth were green-
the ghastliest haunt you've ever seen.
Foulest in the land was she."

"Cinderella Skelton's
Stepsisters treated her with scorn..."

A twist on a familiar tale with "drop-dead" fabulous illustrations!!

A mirror mask book with pop-up surpirses. You hold the book cover to your face and look through the peepholes into a mirror and you will be able to read the secret parts of this spooky story.

REVIEW OR ORDER

A little bit scarey for the younger crowd but ages 6 and Up will get just the right amount of spooking and Prelutsky's incredible meter.

This collection of freaky tales from around the world has been especially compiled for parents and teachers to share with children. The most familiar story will be the "Gingerbread Man" but my favorite is the brave blackbird who declares war on the king. These are perfect read-aloud stories which will put everyone in the mood for the spookiest of nights!

Beto is distraught because he isn't able to find a perfect gift for Abuela's altar. The answer to his dilemma is found in a wild dream, in which Beto joins a conga line of dance-mad skeletons. 

Learn more about Mexico's Day of the Dead: Recipies,  Activities, Beliefs and Celebrations.

If you're looking for something humorous and not quite so scarey, this is the perfect book.

"Pussycat, pusscat, where have you been?
—I've been to Lond to torment the queen.
Mean little pussycat, what did yo there?
I put a wee mouse in her long underwear."

The illustrations by Jack E. Davis are sure to delight!

"To begin with, there's Ono.  That's not his real name.  I call him that because every time I see him I say, 'OH, NO'!"

Are you sure you want to open this book?  It's safe. Everyhing works out just fine.  Very clever.  Excellent Read-a-loud and acting out.

Imagine receiving "broccoli chews" for your treat or "Sweet 'n' Sauerkraut" or "Eggplant Fizzlers".. or better yet, imagining the POWER of a costume. This is a fun book...not scarey.

Young Adult (2001)
ORDER: HARDCOVER