(3) K-3 Illustrated by Katrin Dreiling. "Skeletons have no muscle-- / they'll never win a race. / Their legs flop 'round like jelly, / and they fall down on their face." Evans's peppy rhyming text reassures readers that without muscles, skin, brains, noses, and guts, skeletons pose no threat to humans, while Dreiling's digitally composed mixed-media illustrations feature three trick-or-treaters who aren't convinced. When they encounter one of the skeletons that, "waking from their slumber...climb out of the ground" on Halloween night, the kids run away as the skeleton gives chase. But has anyone considered that since skeletons "have no friends," maybe "they'd like to find a few"? The raucous illustrations are packed with visual treats.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn