MotherReader

Tomorrow I’ll read to my daughter’s third-grade class in practically the first Halloween-like thing I’ve done. I’m a a bit concerned that I haven’t quite figured out my daughters’ costumes yet, but hey, I’ve got two days. (Crap! Two days!) Anyway, here are two of my favorite Halloween picture books for all of you librarians/teachers/moms who might need something to read to a preschool or early elementary school class.

This one is always a winner: The Hallo-wiener, by Dav Pilkey. It’s the story of a dachshund who is always teased by his doggie classmates, but especially after his well-meaning mother gives him a hot-dog costume for Halloween. But when his doggie friends are spooked by a ghoul, it’s the little dog who saves the day. It’s a funny book, but you can add a little spooky suspense when the ghoul comes into the picture.

The other book that I found more recently is The Ugly Pumpkin, by Dave Horowitz. It’s about a pumpkin that isn’t picked for Halloween because he looks so strange. As he travels through November, he comes upon more like him and realizes that he’s not a pumpkin at all. He’s a squash! And he’s just in time for Thanksgiving! Cute twist on the ugly duckling story with a nice transition to the next holiday on the calendar.

Later today, I’ll write about the books I’m taking to the third-grade class, but right now I have some costumes to pull together.