(2) K-3 Illustrated by Saba Joshaghani & Pete Oswald. Despite Halloween being its favorite holiday, the curmudgeonly sunflower seed from The Bad Seed is in a "baaaaaad mood." The reasons: lack of a costume, extreme competitiveness, and...wistful nostalgia. "­Halloween used to be so much fun! My friends and I would all get dressed up together. Oh, the memories..." Deciding that a trick is in order, the seed announces the postponement of Halloween. "A HERD OF SEED-EATING SQUIRRELS IS RACING TOWARD US! YIKES!! WATCH OUT! SQUIRRELS AND RAIN AND THUNDER!" Fortunately, an empathetic fellow seed (pumpkin!) guides our hero toward rediscovering its Halloween spirit. The text cultivates emotion in the botanical protagonist, while the digital illustrations are seeded with funny facial expressions--now with bonus jack-o'-lanterns and silly costumes.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021