What do you think?
Jerry Pallotta's Holiday Books
Who Will Haunt My House on Halloween?
It's Halloween night. While a mother is upstairs getting her daughter's costume ready, lots of trick-or-treaters stop by the house — from werewolves, ghosts, and zombies to witches, bats, dinosaurs, and more! But are they really real? Jerry Pallotta and David Biedrzycki team up again in this spine-tingling story that's as giggle-inducing as Who Will Help Santa This Year and Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight?
Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Jerry Pallotta
282 books120 followersMy full name is Gerard Larry Pallotta but my mom always called me "Jerry". I was born on March 26, 1953 in Boston, Massachusetts. My mom's name is Mary, and she came from a family of ten children. My dad's name is Joe, and he came from a family of five children. My grandparents were immigrants of Italian descent. I have the nicest parents in the world. They have always been unselfish and ready to help me, even today. I have four brothers and two sisters: Joey, David, Andrew, Danny, Cindy and Mickey. I have seventy-two first cousins. When I was growing up, there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
My family moved to Medford, Massachusetts when I was young. I went to elementary school at Mt. Trinity Academy, not far from where my publisher is located in Watertown, Massachusetts. I never wrote a book in elementary school, and we never kept journals. In the neighborhood where I grew up, almost every family had seven to nine children. I guess that you could say that there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I went to high school at Boston College High School, a Jesuit all-boys school in downtown Boston. The priests and other teachers were really wonderful. I played football and ran track. I had a great high school experience and I think later it made my studies in college much easier. My sons Neil and Eric graduated from Boston College High School in 2001 and 2003. Neil was named after a teacher I had, Fr. Neil Callahan, S.J. I never wrote a book in high school, and I never wrote for the school newspaper. I was too shy and was afraid of what other kids would think.
After high school I went to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. I majored in business, a subject that would help me later in life when I decided to publish my first book. At Georgetown, I met my wife, Linda. In college I was an average student and was captain of the Georgetown University Rugby Team. I never wrote for the college newspaper, and I never imaged writing books. A couple of years later, Linda and I got married and I started to work at an insurance company in Boston. During the first six years of being married, we had four kids. It seemed like there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
Today, we spend a lot of time with my 31 nieces and nephews...again...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I learned valuable skills while talking to people, selling insurance and collecting money. When I came home from work, Linda would ask me to "read to the kids!" I loved reading to my kids and I learned to appreciate children's books. The first few books that we bought were alphabet books and counting books. "A" was always for Apple and "Z" was always for Zebra. One day I decided, "Hey, I can do this!" I had an idea. I would write an alphabet book about the Atlantic Ocean. I spent every summer at Peggotty Beach in Scituate, Massachusetts. I have great memories of lobstering, fishing, mossing, clamming and rowing in my dory.
My first book was written in 1985 when I was 32 years old. I came up with the idea, wrote it, designed it, researched it, edited it and my cousin, Frank Mazzola, Jr. illustrated it. I published it myself under the name of Peggotty Beach Books. What fun! It was first printed on July 7, 1986. I'll never forget that day. The book eventually became the #1 best selling book at the New England Aquarium. I was afraid that only my mother would like it. Teachers and kids told me they really liked my book.
While speaking in schools, teachers also told me they were looking for simple non-fiction nature books. It gave me the confidence to write more. My next book, "The Icky Bug Alphabet Book", has sold more than 1 million copies. My third book, "The Bird Alphabet Book" was voted one of the best books of the year by Birders World Magazine. I now have over twenty alphabet books. My goal has always been to write interesting, fact-filled, fun to read, beautifully illustrated color children's books. Thank you to all my illustrators: Ralph Masiello, Frank Mazzola, Jr., Rob Bolster, Edgar Stewart, Leslie
My family moved to Medford, Massachusetts when I was young. I went to elementary school at Mt. Trinity Academy, not far from where my publisher is located in Watertown, Massachusetts. I never wrote a book in elementary school, and we never kept journals. In the neighborhood where I grew up, almost every family had seven to nine children. I guess that you could say that there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I went to high school at Boston College High School, a Jesuit all-boys school in downtown Boston. The priests and other teachers were really wonderful. I played football and ran track. I had a great high school experience and I think later it made my studies in college much easier. My sons Neil and Eric graduated from Boston College High School in 2001 and 2003. Neil was named after a teacher I had, Fr. Neil Callahan, S.J. I never wrote a book in high school, and I never wrote for the school newspaper. I was too shy and was afraid of what other kids would think.
After high school I went to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. I majored in business, a subject that would help me later in life when I decided to publish my first book. At Georgetown, I met my wife, Linda. In college I was an average student and was captain of the Georgetown University Rugby Team. I never wrote for the college newspaper, and I never imaged writing books. A couple of years later, Linda and I got married and I started to work at an insurance company in Boston. During the first six years of being married, we had four kids. It seemed like there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
Today, we spend a lot of time with my 31 nieces and nephews...again...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I learned valuable skills while talking to people, selling insurance and collecting money. When I came home from work, Linda would ask me to "read to the kids!" I loved reading to my kids and I learned to appreciate children's books. The first few books that we bought were alphabet books and counting books. "A" was always for Apple and "Z" was always for Zebra. One day I decided, "Hey, I can do this!" I had an idea. I would write an alphabet book about the Atlantic Ocean. I spent every summer at Peggotty Beach in Scituate, Massachusetts. I have great memories of lobstering, fishing, mossing, clamming and rowing in my dory.
My first book was written in 1985 when I was 32 years old. I came up with the idea, wrote it, designed it, researched it, edited it and my cousin, Frank Mazzola, Jr. illustrated it. I published it myself under the name of Peggotty Beach Books. What fun! It was first printed on July 7, 1986. I'll never forget that day. The book eventually became the #1 best selling book at the New England Aquarium. I was afraid that only my mother would like it. Teachers and kids told me they really liked my book.
While speaking in schools, teachers also told me they were looking for simple non-fiction nature books. It gave me the confidence to write more. My next book, "The Icky Bug Alphabet Book", has sold more than 1 million copies. My third book, "The Bird Alphabet Book" was voted one of the best books of the year by Birders World Magazine. I now have over twenty alphabet books. My goal has always been to write interesting, fact-filled, fun to read, beautifully illustrated color children's books. Thank you to all my illustrators: Ralph Masiello, Frank Mazzola, Jr., Rob Bolster, Edgar Stewart, Leslie
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
October 30, 2018
A cute beginners book. A little girls is terrified of who might come to her door this Halloween night. Her imagination runs wild. The best line says she is afraid of “real live dead people.” I loved it. Turns out, a whole lot of kids ring her bell and she dresses up and goes Trick-or-Treating with them.
Lovely artwork, very safe. A nice soft sense of humor.
The children enjoyed this book. The nephew liked all the monsters and the niece thought it was cute. They gave it 4 stars and 3 stars respectively.
Lovely artwork, very safe. A nice soft sense of humor.
The children enjoyed this book. The nephew liked all the monsters and the niece thought it was cute. They gave it 4 stars and 3 stars respectively.
November 1, 2016
I could not wait to read this book! It was one of my favorites, one of the best ones I found in my library catalog weeks before Halloween. I saved it for second to last to read Halloween night. I loved the cover; it looked so cool and interesting. I really liked the big shadows of the skeleton and witch on the house, and the little girl peeking fearfully out of the door and the cat bristling with its tail standing up, as well as the bats in front of the moon.
The orange covering on the inside of the book was a really nice touch. It was a pop of Halloween color. The title page was really cool, done in shades of blue with the moon and a skeleton hand about to ring the doorbell, while angry ghost eyes glare out of the dark.
The cat was adorable, with its pumpkin collar and pumpkin charm hanging off of it. I wish the girl had been as cute as I thought she was from the cover, but she didn’t look very cute at all. I LOVED the Halloween rug; it was a mosaic with a bunch of tiles composed of different Halloween creatures, scarecrow face, a ghost, black cat, witch, pumpkin and other things. It’s touches that like that set illustrations over the edge. I really liked the three different sized pumpkins in front of the table, as well as the ghost stringed lights going around the edge of the table.
The pumpkin light socket was great! The leaves blowing in the open front door were great. The werewolf with the bowtie with pigs on it was a cute idea, and I loved the black pumpkin pupil in his green eye. The girl was cute when she looked afraid, peeking around the open door and her cat’s tail standing straight up.
The girl and her cat retreated further into the house, peering around from the living room as ghosts fill the entryway. One looks really look, with his hands drawn up as he contemplates the bowl of candy and he’s smiling. The others weren’t cute like he was, but one is upending a bag of candy corn, which falls straight through his body. The falling line of candy corn was pretty. The key hole on the door was in the shape of a cat; adorable! It looked like the reading glasses on the table had the image of the ghosts in the lens but I couldn’t really tell because it was so small. And omg, the pumpkins! Their smiling faces had changed to fright! Their mouths were downturned and one had an O for a mouth, all of their eyes were round. I liked that they were reacting right along to it.
It was cute how zombies come to the door, and she says she’s afraid of real live dead people. Cute, because it sounds just like something a kid would say. The cat is too cute, his front legs are stretched out and his body is leaning backward as he pulls away from them.
It’s so cute the many things a kid has to be afraid of on Halloween. After werewolves and zombies, bats fly into her house. Candy corn goes flying, the cat runs away, but the bats looked so cute! Their big eyes and cute little mouths.
Witches show up next, and I started to think what happened to the bats, or the other characters? How did they get out of the house? That was unanswered and probably needed to be addressed, but I went with it. It was funny how the girl said she’s really scared and this wasn’t funny. The 3 have colored liquid in their glasses and she’s like “No, thank you! I’m not thirsty” which was really cute. Even though there was only one sentence on each page, and sometimes it was just a few words, I didn’t think it was lacking. It got the message across and was just enough. But I did want to know what happened. I flipped the page expecting something to happen with the witches, for them to say something, but then it was moving on to the next creature. That was lacking and I wanted more of a conclusion.
I don’t think the spiders really worked, because how did a web and all of those many spiders just appear in her house? I liked her hair bows though. She had her hair in pigtails and the band had three little pumpkins on it.
It was cute how she turns her face away and squeezed her eyes closed as the skeletons come for candy. Her cat and the pumpkins watched from the window. The visitors kind of got worse, with jack-o-lanters spelling out “Boo to you” and owls, who aren’t scary. The dinosaurs I just couldn’t believe. They had no place in here, because, as the book said, they’re extinct. The scarecrows picked things back up. They were pretty to look at. I love scarecrows, with their bushy hay hands and feet. One had on green tights, and the other red overalls, and the third an orange shirt and green pants. I liked what the girl said, that scarecrows aren’t supposed to walk and no birds allowed in this house. The mouse was cute holding a piece of candy corn. I just wondered why a mouse was there, it’s like her house had a mouse in it which wasn’t a good thing, because he couldn’t have been a pet.
Her mom suddenly appears, asking if anyone had trick-or-treated yet, and the girl has her arms splayed against the closed door, and her cat is doing the same beside her. Adorable! The cat was so cute. She says it’s been very quiet.
I noticed that the trick-or-treaters were dressed as all of the frightful guests she had imagined. Werewolf, dinosaur, ghost, owl, bat, scarecrow, jack-o-lantern, skeleton, witch, zombie. It was cool how the moon was smiling and could be seen through the open door. It would have been better if all of the characters were in order of how they appeared at her house. As they trick-or-treat they're all in a line, and it starts off with the girl, followed by a werewolf and ghost, but the order stopped there. It would have been a nice touch had they been in order.
This time trick-or-treaters come to the door and she’s in her costume ready to go with them.
I wasn’t crazy about the last lines of the book. “We are on our way to haunt your house! Happy Halloween!” I didn’t know how I felt about the reader being included, and suddenly going from all of those wild guests to normal trick-or-treating in which she’s the trick or treater.
I didn’t read the summary until after I had read the book, because I didn’t want it to give anything away. I wanted to go into it fresh. I wish summaries didn’t give literally everything away. Almost every guest is mentioned, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, witches, bats, dinosaurs and more. I really didn’t like the line “But are they really . . . real?” There was no mention whatsoever that what she was experiencing wasn’t real, so I don’t know why the summary would lead readers to believe the whole book is false. If everything was her imagination then there needed to be a way to convey that, like she woke up from a dream or she snapped out of her scary thoughts. That was a fail on the author’s part if she wanted this to be her imagination. Having read reviews where people mention she was afraid of her friends' costumes, I'm even more convinced the author could have found a way to let readers know the girl had blown things out of proportion, maybe by saying they're not monsters, or they're not scary, they're just my friends in costumes. Would that have been so hard?
The orange covering on the inside of the book was a really nice touch. It was a pop of Halloween color. The title page was really cool, done in shades of blue with the moon and a skeleton hand about to ring the doorbell, while angry ghost eyes glare out of the dark.
The cat was adorable, with its pumpkin collar and pumpkin charm hanging off of it. I wish the girl had been as cute as I thought she was from the cover, but she didn’t look very cute at all. I LOVED the Halloween rug; it was a mosaic with a bunch of tiles composed of different Halloween creatures, scarecrow face, a ghost, black cat, witch, pumpkin and other things. It’s touches that like that set illustrations over the edge. I really liked the three different sized pumpkins in front of the table, as well as the ghost stringed lights going around the edge of the table.
The pumpkin light socket was great! The leaves blowing in the open front door were great. The werewolf with the bowtie with pigs on it was a cute idea, and I loved the black pumpkin pupil in his green eye. The girl was cute when she looked afraid, peeking around the open door and her cat’s tail standing straight up.
The girl and her cat retreated further into the house, peering around from the living room as ghosts fill the entryway. One looks really look, with his hands drawn up as he contemplates the bowl of candy and he’s smiling. The others weren’t cute like he was, but one is upending a bag of candy corn, which falls straight through his body. The falling line of candy corn was pretty. The key hole on the door was in the shape of a cat; adorable! It looked like the reading glasses on the table had the image of the ghosts in the lens but I couldn’t really tell because it was so small. And omg, the pumpkins! Their smiling faces had changed to fright! Their mouths were downturned and one had an O for a mouth, all of their eyes were round. I liked that they were reacting right along to it.
It was cute how zombies come to the door, and she says she’s afraid of real live dead people. Cute, because it sounds just like something a kid would say. The cat is too cute, his front legs are stretched out and his body is leaning backward as he pulls away from them.
It’s so cute the many things a kid has to be afraid of on Halloween. After werewolves and zombies, bats fly into her house. Candy corn goes flying, the cat runs away, but the bats looked so cute! Their big eyes and cute little mouths.
Witches show up next, and I started to think what happened to the bats, or the other characters? How did they get out of the house? That was unanswered and probably needed to be addressed, but I went with it. It was funny how the girl said she’s really scared and this wasn’t funny. The 3 have colored liquid in their glasses and she’s like “No, thank you! I’m not thirsty” which was really cute. Even though there was only one sentence on each page, and sometimes it was just a few words, I didn’t think it was lacking. It got the message across and was just enough. But I did want to know what happened. I flipped the page expecting something to happen with the witches, for them to say something, but then it was moving on to the next creature. That was lacking and I wanted more of a conclusion.
I don’t think the spiders really worked, because how did a web and all of those many spiders just appear in her house? I liked her hair bows though. She had her hair in pigtails and the band had three little pumpkins on it.
It was cute how she turns her face away and squeezed her eyes closed as the skeletons come for candy. Her cat and the pumpkins watched from the window. The visitors kind of got worse, with jack-o-lanters spelling out “Boo to you” and owls, who aren’t scary. The dinosaurs I just couldn’t believe. They had no place in here, because, as the book said, they’re extinct. The scarecrows picked things back up. They were pretty to look at. I love scarecrows, with their bushy hay hands and feet. One had on green tights, and the other red overalls, and the third an orange shirt and green pants. I liked what the girl said, that scarecrows aren’t supposed to walk and no birds allowed in this house. The mouse was cute holding a piece of candy corn. I just wondered why a mouse was there, it’s like her house had a mouse in it which wasn’t a good thing, because he couldn’t have been a pet.
Her mom suddenly appears, asking if anyone had trick-or-treated yet, and the girl has her arms splayed against the closed door, and her cat is doing the same beside her. Adorable! The cat was so cute. She says it’s been very quiet.
I noticed that the trick-or-treaters were dressed as all of the frightful guests she had imagined. Werewolf, dinosaur, ghost, owl, bat, scarecrow, jack-o-lantern, skeleton, witch, zombie. It was cool how the moon was smiling and could be seen through the open door. It would have been better if all of the characters were in order of how they appeared at her house. As they trick-or-treat they're all in a line, and it starts off with the girl, followed by a werewolf and ghost, but the order stopped there. It would have been a nice touch had they been in order.
This time trick-or-treaters come to the door and she’s in her costume ready to go with them.
I wasn’t crazy about the last lines of the book. “We are on our way to haunt your house! Happy Halloween!” I didn’t know how I felt about the reader being included, and suddenly going from all of those wild guests to normal trick-or-treating in which she’s the trick or treater.
I didn’t read the summary until after I had read the book, because I didn’t want it to give anything away. I wanted to go into it fresh. I wish summaries didn’t give literally everything away. Almost every guest is mentioned, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, witches, bats, dinosaurs and more. I really didn’t like the line “But are they really . . . real?” There was no mention whatsoever that what she was experiencing wasn’t real, so I don’t know why the summary would lead readers to believe the whole book is false. If everything was her imagination then there needed to be a way to convey that, like she woke up from a dream or she snapped out of her scary thoughts. That was a fail on the author’s part if she wanted this to be her imagination. Having read reviews where people mention she was afraid of her friends' costumes, I'm even more convinced the author could have found a way to let readers know the girl had blown things out of proportion, maybe by saying they're not monsters, or they're not scary, they're just my friends in costumes. Would that have been so hard?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2011
A young girl imagines all the scary creatures that might show up at her house for trick-or-treat. I enjoyed this, but thought the text was just a bit sparse. I would have liked a little bit more. The illustrations were fun, though, with a lot of great details. I laughed at the ghost trying to eat candy corn (it slid right through and fell to the floor). I also loved the three dinosaur skeletons dressed up as a princess, a clown, and a wizard.
I could see this being a great Halloween read-aloud in a one-on-one setting. I'm going to have it in the stack of books to choose from during my Halloween library storytime, so if any of the classes chooses this one, I'll see how well it works in a large group setting.
I could see this being a great Halloween read-aloud in a one-on-one setting. I'm going to have it in the stack of books to choose from during my Halloween library storytime, so if any of the classes chooses this one, I'll see how well it works in a large group setting.
November 1, 2016
Love the ghost lights on the table! They seem to illuminate.
The cat& his collar are cute!
The pumpkin light switch is a nice detail.
The little girl looks so cute peeking around the door!
The werewolf has a pig tie. That’s clever!
The ghosts didn’t look scary. wish the candy corn had passed through the ghosts body. Looks like it’s pouring in front of him. they’re peeking around the wall&even the pumpkins look scared!
The cat looks cute when the zombies show up! The pumpkins are at the door! They move!
‘Please stop! I’m afraid of real live dead people.’ That could have sounded better.
The first witch is the scariest looking thing so far.
The girl’s hair was nicely drawn on the spider page. It looks like real hair does! That captured the horror of being covered in spiders well, and I think kids will really get that sense through her expression.
The skeleton had a gold tooth with a face on it!
The cat and pumpkins and mouse are so cute in the window as the girl gives the skeletons candy.
2 of the haunted jack-o-lanterns look scary.
Aw the pumpkins left a message! Boo to you! I love that message! And that it was spelled with pumpkins.
I didn’t really care for the dinos trick-or-treating, because like the story says, they’re instinct. &they’re not Halloween creatures.
The cat&girl look so cute leaned against the door. &when the mom asks if anyone has came to the door, she lies and says its been quiet. That was cute!
I thought this was all hypothetical!!
The characters should have looked scary. most looked friendly& idk why she would be scared of characters that are smiling and look nice. I wish she hadn’t been so scared! It’s like she didn’t enjoy one bit of Halloween, cause all these scary creatures came!
Then all of a sudden her friends come& I think she’ll be scared to go out or something but bam they just go. &then there’s a message aimed at us readers: ‘We are on our way to haunt your house!’ which was a strange thing to say. &after her house being ‘haunted’ all night, idk way she’d wanna haunt anyone!
&it’s weird to go from not talking directly to the readers, to having the girl’s voice throughout, and then at the end, talk to the reader.
I thought it was a book about the kind of ghosts and ghouls you’d see on Halloween night. And as I read, I didn’t realize they were actually trick-or-treating. I thought she was imagining them. It was weird to have them trick-or-treat when they should be out scaring people.
When the trick-or-treaters show up, the pumpkins mouths look like jigsaw pieces. Cool how they look lit-up.
The cat& his collar are cute!
The pumpkin light switch is a nice detail.
The little girl looks so cute peeking around the door!
The werewolf has a pig tie. That’s clever!
The ghosts didn’t look scary. wish the candy corn had passed through the ghosts body. Looks like it’s pouring in front of him. they’re peeking around the wall&even the pumpkins look scared!
The cat looks cute when the zombies show up! The pumpkins are at the door! They move!
‘Please stop! I’m afraid of real live dead people.’ That could have sounded better.
The first witch is the scariest looking thing so far.
The girl’s hair was nicely drawn on the spider page. It looks like real hair does! That captured the horror of being covered in spiders well, and I think kids will really get that sense through her expression.
The skeleton had a gold tooth with a face on it!
The cat and pumpkins and mouse are so cute in the window as the girl gives the skeletons candy.
2 of the haunted jack-o-lanterns look scary.
Aw the pumpkins left a message! Boo to you! I love that message! And that it was spelled with pumpkins.
I didn’t really care for the dinos trick-or-treating, because like the story says, they’re instinct. &they’re not Halloween creatures.
The cat&girl look so cute leaned against the door. &when the mom asks if anyone has came to the door, she lies and says its been quiet. That was cute!
I thought this was all hypothetical!!
The characters should have looked scary. most looked friendly& idk why she would be scared of characters that are smiling and look nice. I wish she hadn’t been so scared! It’s like she didn’t enjoy one bit of Halloween, cause all these scary creatures came!
Then all of a sudden her friends come& I think she’ll be scared to go out or something but bam they just go. &then there’s a message aimed at us readers: ‘We are on our way to haunt your house!’ which was a strange thing to say. &after her house being ‘haunted’ all night, idk way she’d wanna haunt anyone!
&it’s weird to go from not talking directly to the readers, to having the girl’s voice throughout, and then at the end, talk to the reader.
I thought it was a book about the kind of ghosts and ghouls you’d see on Halloween night. And as I read, I didn’t realize they were actually trick-or-treating. I thought she was imagining them. It was weird to have them trick-or-treat when they should be out scaring people.
When the trick-or-treaters show up, the pumpkins mouths look like jigsaw pieces. Cool how they look lit-up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2010
This is a good seasonal (Halloween) book. The main character in the story, a little girl, is scared/nervous about Halloween. She does not know who or what to expect when she opens the door to the trick-or-treaters. She imagines real ghost, witches, werewolves, and etc will come haunt her house on Halloween. When her mom asks her if anyone has came to trick-or-treat, she says no but is against the door so nobody can open it. Her mom gets her ready and the door bell rings. Frightened she opens the door but realizes that Halloween is just children in costumes, just like her own.
October 12, 2010
This is a perfect Halloween story to read with little ones. My four year old was a little scared when reading the story and was worried that the little girls mom was no where to be seen, what a relief that she showed in the end. My six year old liked the skeletons and loved how the little girls imagination worked on her friends costumes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2010
This story is about a little girl that is about to go trick or treating. While waiting on her mother she thinks of all the scary things that come out on Halloween. Cute story to show that these things aren't real and aren't actually going to hurt anyone. Could be used for kids that are nervous about the holiday.
October 31, 2014
This fun book goes through a young girl's fears of all the creatures associated with Halloween including witches, ghosts, zombies, and all the rest! In the end they are all just her friends coming to trick or treat! And she goes and joins the Halloween parade!
December 12, 2022
Nice pictures, very modern but comical and quirky illustrations.
September 28, 2024
Wasn’t horrible, Grands liked the illustrations.
December 18, 2011
Great illustrations. Short and easy to read text. Like Pallotta's other books, these are great to read aloud for storytime to the Pre-K crowd. I have done his books for my storytimes at the library from ages 18 months to 4 years. The illustrations and easy-to-understand text make the story easy to follow for the children. And also like Pallotta's other books, he's hidden an illustration in almost every page. I say almost because I have yet to locate the cat in the pages with the witches at the door or the pages with the dinosaur fossils trick-or-treating. On some pages there are hidden jack-o-lanterns.
May 7, 2013
I did NOT like this Halloween book (and not just because it's May). The girl basically talks about all the things she is scared of at Halloween, and seems to be having a horrible time--but then goes out trick-or-treating happily with her friends, all dressed like these scary things, at the end.
BUT, my kids loved it--I don't know if was just that Halloween and trick-or-treating are so amazing that no book on the subject can go wrong, or if I'm missing some other appeal factor, but they have either been asking me to read it or looking it over themselves all week long.
Hence the compromise rating of 3 stars.
BUT, my kids loved it--I don't know if was just that Halloween and trick-or-treating are so amazing that no book on the subject can go wrong, or if I'm missing some other appeal factor, but they have either been asking me to read it or looking it over themselves all week long.
Hence the compromise rating of 3 stars.
October 31, 2017
Read this cute little book with my second graders today for our Halloween read-aloud. It's about a little girl who imagines that all these scary creatures from warewolves to zombies, witches, bats owls, and even dinosaurs are coming to her door to trick or treat. The end is very cute and a little surprising. I enjoyed it and the kids did, too. Would recommend.
November 18, 2011
The illustrations of the people bother me, so for that I'm giving it 4 stars, but I like all the other artwork. And it's just a fun little book, probably great for the littlest ones who might be a little afraid of Halloween.
October 23, 2014
I can't really say what I didn't like about this book. I just didn't like it. The pictures of the little girl gave me the creeps. She looked like a little shrunken adult - like in the old-time nativity pictures where Baby Jesus has an adult head on an infant's body.
September 9, 2018
This cute book about a young girl who's mother is upstairs getting her costume ready when the door bell rings. The young girl opens the door to witches, spiders, scarecrows, and zombies. This book would very cute to use around Halloween.
December 1, 2009
Great pictures
September 14, 2010
Make sure to look on every page for the hidden images of jack-o-lanterns and Halloween cats. Very clever
October 22, 2010
Easy read book. I would not use this
November 4, 2010
The story was okay, the illustrations were cute!
November 8, 2010
This is a fun Halloween read aloud book that can be used to have students predict what sort of gruesome Halloween creature will haunt the girl's house on Halloween.
April 13, 2011
This story keeps you guessing as to who the poor girl will have to see on Halloween. From spiders, to zombies, keeps you guessing the entire time.
November 28, 2011
Excellent illustrations!
September 20, 2012
didn't really keep my 5 year old interested
October 18, 2012
My two favorite lines from this book: Oh No! Zombies!! Please Stop! I'm afraid of real live dead people!
and: Dinosaurs? What are you doing here? You're Extinct!!
and: Dinosaurs? What are you doing here? You're Extinct!!
February 10, 2013
This was a story about all the monsters that would visit a little girls house on the night of Halloween. I really didn't like this book. It didn't make sense and was pretty pointless.
August 28, 2013
This is a very simple book. The text reflects regular dialogue in that the main character speaks plainly. This is for kindergarten and first grade.
November 3, 2013
My little one rated this "5-Stars."
October 16, 2017
Not my favorite of Pallotta's but still a cute Halloween read.
October 30, 2019
This is a good mystery book to read for Halloween. It's a story about a girl who is getting trick-or-treaters at her door and she's not sure who will show up next. It goes through a lot of things and then her mom comes down stairs with her costume, ready to go out for Halloween. A good book for the younger grades.
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