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Shivery Shades of Halloween
A rollicking, rhyming Halloween romp—in every color!
What color is Halloween? Why, it’s as green as an “eerie glow, evil grin, vile brew, clammy skin,” as white as “cobwebs clinging, a misty trail, a skull, a spook, a face gone pale . . .” Children will learn their colors as they follow a cute little creature on his adventure through haunted halls, moonlit forests . . . perhaps even a Halloween party! Jimmy Pickering’s stylized settings and adorable monsters add a blast of colorful creepy-crawliness that will make kids giggle. Who knew that learning colors could be such spooky fun?
What color is Halloween? Why, it’s as green as an “eerie glow, evil grin, vile brew, clammy skin,” as white as “cobwebs clinging, a misty trail, a skull, a spook, a face gone pale . . .” Children will learn their colors as they follow a cute little creature on his adventure through haunted halls, moonlit forests . . . perhaps even a Halloween party! Jimmy Pickering’s stylized settings and adorable monsters add a blast of colorful creepy-crawliness that will make kids giggle. Who knew that learning colors could be such spooky fun?
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
October 18, 2019
This beginning book uses rhyme and monsters to explore the colors of Halloween. The monsters are cute and cuddly and the rhymes are good. I don’t have much else to say.
My nephew does love monsters, but this is too young for him. He can’t read it yet. He didn’t think the monsters were scary enough and it was a rather silly book. He gave this only 3 stars. He said he can’t give monsters only a few stars for being too simple.
My nephew does love monsters, but this is too young for him. He can’t read it yet. He didn’t think the monsters were scary enough and it was a rather silly book. He gave this only 3 stars. He said he can’t give monsters only a few stars for being too simple.
October 30, 2014
Shivery Shades of Halloween is just the perfect treat for your kid this Halloween season! It's bursting with colors, the silly rhymes and tongue-twisting word pairings make it super fun to read aloud (and occasionally laugh together when mommy's tongue gets twisted in a knot when trying to keep up with the rhythm), and it's just such a great way to learn about the many colors of Halloween!
When thinking about Halloween, certain colors come to mind right away, black, orange and purple being the first ones to pop into our heads. But did you know Halloween is way more colorful than just that? Halloween is also red, brown, yellow, blue, gray, white and green! And thanks to this beautifully illustrated little book your child will learn to spot the other, less-obvious colors of Halloween, and to associate them with many different adjectives (for example: blue is chilly-spills, gloomy-doomy, dreary-weary).
Jimmy Pickering's are not horribly detailed, but they have this gorgeous Halloween-y quality to them that just works here. The blues and the whites are chilly and frosty, the grays are cool and nicely textured (stone-like, well-shaded), the yellows and oranges are glowy and shiny.. He knows what effect will work with what color and thanks to that his illustrations are vibrant eye-catching and wonderful to look at. The colors are saturated and rich, and they really pop off the pages.
Mary MacKenna Siddal's writing draws you in and instantly puts you in a trick-or-treating mood. The rhymes are simple, but very engaging, and the descriptions of colors are just too silly to read them with a straight face. They make for a very entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny read, and I think parents will love them just as much as kids will.
Overall, Shivery Shades Of Halloween is a fantastic and spell-binding book. A creative and mesmerizing way to teach your child about colors and the spirit of Halloween. This is definitely one of the best Halloween-themed picture books I've seen around this season. Your child will love it!
September 25, 2018
There's a lot of colors! Orange! Red! Gray! Black! Pink! Purple! Green! Yellow! White! Blue! Brown!
October 30, 2018
Probably will not read this at storytime, but I did like this one for all the colors. 3-5 year old audiences. Rhymes.
October 15, 2017
My son enjoyed this!
October 13, 2018
With repetitive, rhyming verse and a color primer format, Shivery Shades of Halloween is a perfect choice for kids who are learning their colors or are reinforced by labeling them. Color primer formats are a wonderful structure that many autistic kids enjoy because they are predictable.
This is a fabulous book for taking turns saying, "I see a...", to practice pointing and tacting.
My more verbal child, Harry, picked up on the fact that there was an unusual noun mentioned before the end of each verse right before the color was named: tinge of green; blotch of purple; wisp of white; shroud of gray; wash of blue; glint of yellow; smudge of brown; blot of black; stain of red; and blaze of orange. He wanted to know what all these things were, and I loved trying to explain it to him (which inevitably involved practical, messy demonstrations). These trickier vocabulary words are also repeated in a list on the final page for extra emphasis.
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I review books from the perspective of a parent of two children with autism. This review is part of a list of Halloween theme books that can be found on my blog: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/hallow...
This is a fabulous book for taking turns saying, "I see a...", to practice pointing and tacting.
My more verbal child, Harry, picked up on the fact that there was an unusual noun mentioned before the end of each verse right before the color was named: tinge of green; blotch of purple; wisp of white; shroud of gray; wash of blue; glint of yellow; smudge of brown; blot of black; stain of red; and blaze of orange. He wanted to know what all these things were, and I loved trying to explain it to him (which inevitably involved practical, messy demonstrations). These trickier vocabulary words are also repeated in a list on the final page for extra emphasis.
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I review books from the perspective of a parent of two children with autism. This review is part of a list of Halloween theme books that can be found on my blog: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/hallow...
October 16, 2014
Just in time for Halloween I found this fun new book. It starts off by asking what the different colors of Halloween are. When I first read this to one of my nephews, he started naming specific colors: orange, black, purple. But then when we got into the story he, along with the rest of the readers, realize that there are so many more colors that are associated with Halloween. There is the white of a ghost or the blue of a wizard. Pretty much any color can be associated with a cartoon (and non-frightening) creature which is associated with the monster of all holidays. Plus the cadance is just right for reading to youngsters. Each page starts out by saying, “Halloween is ____” and lists a color. Then there is the rest of the text which dares any reader to not read it in a rhythm that almost sends the readers through the book like a runaway Halloween train that everyone is happy to ride. Seriously, this is a fun look at colors for any young fans of monsters, dressing up, or trick-or-treat fun.
March 26, 2015
Forget orange and black. Answering the opening question of this title, Halloween is many colors. The ten colored stripes on the endpapers hint at the colors mentioned in the text. Each spread has a concise rhyming quatrain about Halloween characters such as monsters, bats, ghosts, etc.: (“Halloween is black. Cat and cauldron,/ Cloak and hat,/ Mouth of cave,/ Vampire bat,”). The spread ends with a silly rhyming phrase that further characterizes the color: (“Inky-slinky, hairy-scary,/ creepy-seepy/ Blot of black”). The format and structure are consistent up to the final spread that combines all ten last lines to sum up the colors of Halloween. The bold and vivid, humorous stylized illustrations tone down the fear factor. It’s a scary, but not too scary, fun read for pre- and young readers and a good choice for read-aloud Halloween story time. The elements of poetry such as assonance, alliteration and internal rhyme that occur in the text would be useful when working with older readers on a poetry unit. It’s a great addition to the holiday section of any school library.
November 26, 2016
1. Book Summary in your own words
An adorable little creature goes on an adventure through haunted halls, moonlit forests, and possibly a Halloween party. Children learn colors in a very fun and adventurous way.
2. Grade level, interest level, lexile
PreK-K
3. Appropriate classroom use (subject area)
Halloween, colors
4. Individual students who might benefit from reading
Students who need help with their colors. Students who love Halloween.
5. Small group use (literature circles)
In groups, students will work on identifying colors while making their own adventure.
6. Whole class use (read aloud)
As a class, we will take a journey together and keep track of all the colors we see.
7. Related books in genre/subject or content area
My Closet Threw a Party by Robyn Parnell
8. Multimedia connections (audio book, movie) available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phnGK...
An adorable little creature goes on an adventure through haunted halls, moonlit forests, and possibly a Halloween party. Children learn colors in a very fun and adventurous way.
2. Grade level, interest level, lexile
PreK-K
3. Appropriate classroom use (subject area)
Halloween, colors
4. Individual students who might benefit from reading
Students who need help with their colors. Students who love Halloween.
5. Small group use (literature circles)
In groups, students will work on identifying colors while making their own adventure.
6. Whole class use (read aloud)
As a class, we will take a journey together and keep track of all the colors we see.
7. Related books in genre/subject or content area
My Closet Threw a Party by Robyn Parnell
8. Multimedia connections (audio book, movie) available
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phnGK...
December 10, 2013
What fun! This book is a great read-aloud. Each two-page spread focuses on a color. The first half of the rhyme deals mostly with nouns associated with Halloween of the particular color while the second half of the rhyme gives a wonderful list of adjectives that describe the color. For example, my favorite is the very first one:
Evil glow
Evil grin
Vile brew
Clammy skin
Slimy-grimy, queasy-peasy, snotty-rotty
Tinge of green.
Shivery Shades of Halloween is perfect for classrooms and libraries. Use it for color reinforcement for the little ones and maybe a writing center for the older kids.
Evil glow
Evil grin
Vile brew
Clammy skin
Slimy-grimy, queasy-peasy, snotty-rotty
Tinge of green.
Shivery Shades of Halloween is perfect for classrooms and libraries. Use it for color reinforcement for the little ones and maybe a writing center for the older kids.
Read
October 19, 2016A rollicking, rhyming Halloween romp in every color!
What color is Halloween? Why, it's as green as an "eerie glow, evil grin, vile brew, clammy skin," as white as "cobwebs clinging, a misty trail, a skull, a spook, a face gone pale . . ." Children will learn their colors as they follow a cute little creature on his adventure through haunted halls, moonlit forests . . . perhaps even a Halloween party! Jimmy Pickering's stylized settings and adorable monsters add a blast of colorful creepy-crawliness that will make kids giggle. Who knew that learning colors could be such spooky fun?
Subject: Colors -- Juvenile fiction
Halloween -- Juvenile fiction
What color is Halloween? Why, it's as green as an "eerie glow, evil grin, vile brew, clammy skin," as white as "cobwebs clinging, a misty trail, a skull, a spook, a face gone pale . . ." Children will learn their colors as they follow a cute little creature on his adventure through haunted halls, moonlit forests . . . perhaps even a Halloween party! Jimmy Pickering's stylized settings and adorable monsters add a blast of colorful creepy-crawliness that will make kids giggle. Who knew that learning colors could be such spooky fun?
Subject: Colors -- Juvenile fiction
Halloween -- Juvenile fiction
October 15, 2018
Not being a big Halloween fan, I'm always on the lookout for a Halloween book I can, with confidence, use for my littlest ones. This one seemed like it would work and, in all fairness, the color element was pretty great. But I found the gushy blood comment to be a little much, and, while lyrical, the text wasn't really great for use with little ones in a storytime setting. Not a bad book, by any means, but I still didn't care for it and do not plan to use it for programming. Bummer.
December 9, 2013
This fantastic read aloud explores all the colors little readers will encounter in their Halloween adventures through bright, colorful illustrations and memorable rhyme. SHIVERY SHADES OF HALLOWEEN is a worthwhile addition to your library and great holiday fun!
September 24, 2016
A new Halloween favorite of mine! Bright, vivid illustrations, lots of fun rhymes AND it teaches the colors. Both kids were drawn in quickly and it held their attention all throughout. The illustrations fit the rhymes very well and there were lots to look at of each color.
October 8, 2016
This is a pretty darn cute book especially if you are learning your colors. The pictures are very
fun and whimsical. The book includes lots of fun rhyming gibberish all done with a a Halloween flare.
fun and whimsical. The book includes lots of fun rhyming gibberish all done with a a Halloween flare.
October 11, 2018
Cute Rhymes
Cute rhymes for various Halloween items/creature and their colors. This book is a fun way to learn colors and get kids to think outside the orange and black Halloween box. It also lends itself easily to kids yoga and crafts.
Cute rhymes for various Halloween items/creature and their colors. This book is a fun way to learn colors and get kids to think outside the orange and black Halloween box. It also lends itself easily to kids yoga and crafts.
August 8, 2014
This will be awesome for Halloween story times. Love the phrasing and descriptions of the colors. The illustrations are also more cute then scary but still shows monsters and "creepy" things.
September 17, 2014
Halloween storytime, here this book comes!
September 10, 2014
A great concept that did not follow through with its potential. Perhaps it is the cartoonish digital illustrations?
October 6, 2015
fun book with rhyming words, short poems, even a sequencing type opportunity at the end.
November 8, 2017
This is one of the best Halloween books that I have read in a long time. I really enjoyed the story and the illustrations.
November 22, 2015
Cute pictures and a fun rhyme to talk about the different colors of Halloween.
September 12, 2017
Very cute rhyming and friendly drawings.
October 9, 2017
This was just ok. It is a good book to teach about colors and the pictures are cute, however it seems like a book of just because, to get a book done.
October 27, 2019
A good word-play color-building Halloween picture book. Nice bright colors, cute pictures (even the monsters), and lots of fun rhymes. It can be a touch tongue-twister-y, though, with all those rhyme pairs, so be sure to practice it before reading for an audience. Worth it though - I like to include it as a non-scary Halloween storytime read.
October 27, 2021
The subtitle says, "A Spooky Book of Colors" and that's exactly what this book is. It starts with a question, "What color is Halloween?". I started by asking my Kindergartners that question and got some great answers. We then read the book and they loved it! The book has some great vocabulary as well. Highly recommended for young students.
October 31, 2019
A “swamp creature” looking thing drinks a potion that makes him small and change colors. Fun rhymes, interesting pictures.
*the little monster guy changes colors with each page and his wavy stripe is the color of the page before*
*the little monster guy changes colors with each page and his wavy stripe is the color of the page before*
December 9, 2019
We got this book last year and we’ve read it dozens of times. At 4 last year it was just the right amount of spooky for my son and at five this year it still did not disappoint. We both enjoy it very much.
November 2, 2019
LOVED this as a read-aloud Halloween book for my preschoolers.
Read
November 7, 2019Mama read this to my class the day before Halloween.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews