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40 pp.
| Little |
August, 2023 |
TradeISBN 9780316592611$18.99
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Charles Santoso.
"Fly now, Witches, on your brooms, / march now, Mummies, from your tombs...I will read to you." In a rhythmic rhyming text with the titular phrase (and variations on it) as a refrain, a mother reads to a child who prefers spooky fare. The child wonders, "Who tucks in beasts? Who cares for them?" So they trek to the highest hill and invite all manner of monsters to storytime. The child takes control as leader and reader, which alleviates scariness, and the atmospheric full-bleed illustrations, done digitally combined with handmade pencil textures, make even a swarm of supernatural beings feel just cheerful enough.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2023