The Boo! Book by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli

Autumn has officially arrived and Halloween is just around the corner.   I came across today's book and loved it immediately.   It is not necessarily a Halloween book and it really isn't scary but I like the sweetness of the story.

The Boo! Book by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer and illustrated beautifully by Nicoletta Ceccoli is a charming little story with illustrations that I love.   It is about a book that is haunted and the mischief that follows.  It has a  fun mixture of playful words and a surprise ending.  This is the kind of book to read with a child on blustery fall evening.  Perfect for bedtime since it really isn't scary at all.  A cozy kind of book that helps make imagination soar.   It is not a boisterous story but a mellow one even if it is about ghosts.   This is a classic storybook that will really can be read any time of the year.   A must have book for the bookshelf!

One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales by Garth Nix

One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens, Three inventors, Four Fantastic Tales by Garth Nix and illustrated by Brian Biggs was a wonderful thing to find while perusing the library bookshelves.   I was amazed I hadn't heard of it before since I am a huge Garth Nix fan.   These are great fantasy stories for younger readers.   These four stories have something for every child --- pirates, princess, aliens and incredible creatures.   The stories are filled with magic and adventure with lots of humor built in.   This is a great book for the reluctant reader because they are short stories that are quick reads.   So many children today love fantasy that this would be a great start to any child's collection.   Perfect too for this time of year!

The 13 Nights of Halloween by Guy Vasilovich

It is Halloween time yet again.   My neighbor has yet to put up his decorations but I have been told that this weekend our neighborhood will once again be Halloween Central.   I am also excited because for the first time I will get to see what he does to the inside of his house.   Apparently I will be truly amazed.   In preparation I thought I would show case a great countdown book to Halloween.

The 13 Nights of Halloween written and illustrated by Guy Vasilovich is a wonderful book to help prepare for the big night.  I love how it is basically the 12 Days of Christmas but instead for Halloween .   It reads (or should I say "sings") so well that it makes a great story time book.  It is a bit different than the Christmas song since rather than starting with the  actual holiday  it starts before the holiday and ends with the 13th day -- Halloween---which of course is perfect!   I love the how each day we are "given" all kinds of spooky and creepy sorts of things like "5 singing skulls or 4 icky eyeballs" ending with "1 Skeleton Key".   This is a great story time book that has a potential for a  myriad of craft ideas that would be fun.  I would have loved to read this at a Halloween story time or party.   The perfect way to start the season off right!

Stat: Home Court and Stat: Double Team by Amar'e Stoudmire

I was catching up on last weeks The Daily Show with Jon Stewart when I was pleasantly surprised that he was going to do an interview about a children's book series.   One of the reasons I love watching Jon Stewart is because he interviews so many authors on his show.   Mostly he does political or history books and of course some celebrity books.   What always amazes me is that I really thinks he reads most of them.   Today's books are basically a celebrity book series.   I am not knocking this but just being up front about it.  I can't remember the last time Jon Stewart talked about a children's book.   What I liked about the interview was that Jon was really impressed with the books.   I am thinking he got the books for his son who is just the right age to be reading them.   It is so wonderful to see a guy really excited about books and that he is apparently trying to get his son to love them too.   I am not into basketball so I had never heard of this player.   After watching the interview I was very impressed and happy that he should use his celebrity to get kids to read.   Never a bad thing in my eyes.

Stat: Home Court and Stat: Double Team by Amar'e Stoudmire and illustrated by Tim Jessell is a new series for young readers ages 8-12.   Scholastic who publishes the series calls it "realistic fiction".   I like that.   It is the fictionalized account of Mr Stoudmire's childhood and how he discovered that playing basketball was his dream.  It is a great series for the reluctant boy reader who loves sports.   Anything to get a child to read is a positive thing in my mind.   I knew nothing about Amar'e Stoudmire before I saw his interview.  He is an all-star NBA player for the NY Knicks who wants to be a positive influence on children.  Here's hoping this influence brings a love of reading to children everywhere.