Very Scary

by Tony Johnston, Douglas Florian (Illustrator)

A pumpkin shimmering in the moonlight attracts the attention of an owl, a cat, crickets, a witch, and a group of boys and girls, who change it into a scary jack-o-lantern

Genres: Halloween, Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Tony Johnston has written many acclaimed books for young people. She and her husband lived in Mexico for fifteen years, where they raised their children. She now lives in San Marino, California.

Reviews

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neither of us were very inspired by this. Muddled story, slightly weird repeating line that almost rhymed but not quite, and though the pictures were pretty, they didn't clarify the story at all, which is a big no-no in our universe. Charlotte didn't ask for any re-reads, or ever pick it out to read to herself, which is a major red-flag.

[Tine Martinsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

” Very Scary” is a book about a big pumpkin that gets his energy from the moon. It gets so big and beautiful that animals, a witch and children wants to have a piece of him, a girl carves out his face, and “he shined so bright”. He shined so bright. The book repeat words and sentences, and it have a lot of rhymes and word-play.

This is good to use with kids in elementary schools around Halloween, and it’s possible to create hands-on activities by going on a fieldtrip, and get real pumpkins and carve out faces. The children can practice their use of language, and they could make a story based upon a pumpkin or the pumpkins they got on the field-trip.

[Brittany Koontz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author: Tony Johnston

Illustrator: Douglas Florian

Genre: Fiction Picture Book

Year Published: 1995

Reading Level: Ages 4-8; Early

Topic and Theme: Scary, Pumpkins, Halloween

Curricular Use: Read Aloud, Individual Reading

Social: None

Literary Elements: Exaggeration, Personification

Text and Pictures: Bright watercolors with much detail that help to tell the story.

Summary: A glowing pumpkin sits in a field that animals and children are attracted to, when all of a sudden the jack-o'lantern shouts boo, and scares everyone away.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully simple and brightly illustrated book about a big pumpkin and all the attention it attracts. It has wonderful, childlike illustrations, sumptuous phrases with occasional rhymes, and a lovely diverse cast. We love Halloween and this would have been perfect except the caricature of the witch was a bit stereotypical - sorry, we always specify whether witches are good or evil at our house, and it doesn't depend on their appearance! But despite that a fun book with a scary ending!

[Ina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are lovely, from the orange pumpkin moon to the big glowing jack-o-lantern on the last page. The largest pumpkin in the patch soaks up the moonlight and because of its bright shimmering glow, and charms the owl, cat, and witch. When a group of children find it and carve a face into it, the pumpkin frightens everyone. The rhyming text has lots of sound words, and while there are all the images we associate with Halloween, Halloween is not mentioned in the text.

[Joanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing really special about this book... I don't think I'll use it as a read aloud but I will have available for student to read during the month of October. It's a story about a pumpkin that grows very large, children come to carve the pumpkin and then it becomes a jack-o-lantern, whomp whomp. The book does have a lot of repetition and rhyming words.

[Beatrice Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pumpkin sucks up all the moonbeams and helps all the other creatures of Halloween become their very best. The art was done in watercolor....not at all an easy type of art to do. Really love the progression of this story and all the creatures used and how the pumpkin triumphantly finishes off Halloween. Great tale.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest, brightest pumpkin in the pumpkin patch attracts the attention of onlookers all the way up to becoming a jack-o-lantern. Warning to sensitive audiences: mentions a witch and the carving of a face.

[Katrina Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. My child loves anything that has to do with Halloween so I checked it out from the library. My child liked it, but didn't love it. I don't if it was the picture graphics that didn't attract him or the story.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tony Johnston's poetry and kid appeal never disappoint. Very Scary is playfully scary--perfect for little ones who like to be scared and safe at the same time. The jack-o-lantern gets the last laugh.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun Halloween storytime book.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A halloween story that includes many writing strategies including repetition and rhyming. This book could also be used for predicting.

[Paul Hankins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writer Workshop ready for Halloween for inventive use of adjectives and descriptive words. Painting by Douglas Florian made me pick this one up. Visually engaging, not too frightening!

[Cassie]

While I like the rhyming lines of this one, I can't stand the illustrations. :(

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

October 2012

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Large, colorful illustrations and rhyming text and onomatopoeic words .

themes: Halloween, pumkins, Jack-o-lanterns

[Cosette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, beautiful pictures. Not too scary! :-)

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Halloween fare. Predictable story about a pumpkin who grows huge and attracts a lot of attention, but not a lot of respect. good rhymes and fun art will satisfy little readers.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute tale of a haunted pumpkin patch. Douglas Florian's watercolors really make the book.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A round orange pumpkin soaks up the light of the round orange moon in this Halloween picture book from author Tony Johnston and illustrator Douglas Florian, attracting the admiring attention of an owl in flight, a cat on the prowl, a choir of crickets, a sneaky witch, and a group of children. Transformed by the latter into a jack-o-lantern, the pumpkin gives them all a surprise, proving how very scary he is...

I have enjoyed a number of picture books from both Johnston and Florian, so when I saw Very Scary on my public library's Halloween display, a few weeks back, I immediately snatched it up. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to it before the big night, but I'm glad that I now have, as I found the narrative engaging—the text is simple, but evocative—and the watercolor artwork engaging. Unsurprisingly, as an aficionado of witchy picture books, I particularly enjoyed those scenes in which the witch is featured. Recommended to younger picture book audiences looking for fun Halloween fare that leans toward the spooky side (at least in its conclusion).

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copyright 1995. This is a very cute story that is mildly scary. Actually, the illustrations really make this a fun scary book. A favorite with my kids back in the day.

[Michael Guillot · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The pumpkin tried to look very scary. But it just looked big and FAT." ok me.
Weird rhythm, not a fan of this one.

[Molly Cluff (Library!)]

A bunch of animals interact with a pumpkin. A witch comes, and the pumpkin wants to scare her away. When children carve a scary face into him, he scares everyone away. The illustrations in this are delightfully atmospheric.