Horn Book Herald: September 2025

(3) K-3 A large green blob gently guides its young charge through recognizable bedtime rituals, encouraging their “horrible little one” to go to sleep. The lilting text and soothing rhymes are appropriate for the bedtime theme, even if the specifics aren’t: “Your duvet is soft and slimy. Your pillow is lovely and damp.” The warm muted-tone illustrations heighten the humor, showing Yeti settling down in her cave, Cyborg getting plugged in, Demon taking medicine, etc. (with some creatures more familiar than others: “Unspeakable Horror?” “Sentient Meteor?” The Spanish edition, Buenas noches, asquerosa cosa viscosa, will be published October 2025.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Sam Kalda. Each spread of this book jovially shares a spooky legend from one of the fifty United States and Washington, D.C. The demeanors of the spirits covered — human, animal, and cryptid — range from friendly to antagonistic, and many of the haunters are helpful. Sympathetic to the ghosts, the narrator leans into the varying historical origins and mystery of each tale. The accompanying, mostly monochromatic pencil illustrations in muted tones are more alluring than frightening, making for an attractive, occasionally chilling package. “A Ghost Hunter’s Guide” and a “Spooky Glossary” are appended.

Reviewer: Monica de los Reyes

(3) K-3 Translated by Polly Lawson. As autumn nights grow colder, Mole becomes a frequent, greedy guest at Fox’s house, where Fox tells stories of a raccoon who turns into a “scuffling monster.” Fox’s annoyance with Mole’s freeloading grows to anger, and soon, the tales of transformation become creepily real. This picture book’s smoothly translated text has a storyteller’s cadence and chapter breaks, which help to build suspense. Fox as a striking, slithering, sinister monster is the star of the atmospheric mixed-media illustrations.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. King retells the Grimm tale in a “new interpretation” (per an opening note), using Sendak’s set and costume designs from the 1997 Engelbert Humperdinck opera. The lengthy text doesn’t shy away from the tale’s darkness, complete with murderous-stepmother trope. The often comically creepy illustrations (digitally photographed by Stinehour Editions) hold nostalgic appeal for Sendak fans; wooded archways (somewhat repetitively used) welcome readers into the woods.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Laan Cham. “Zeb lived on a farm. His family raised brains. Grain-fed, free-range brains, to be specific.” When a newborn brain emerges from its patch, all cute and cuddly in the lighthearted, cartoony digital illustrations, zombie Zeb’s heart melts. He brings it inside and, despite his parents’ protestations (“Brains are food, NOT pets”), begins to care for it. A misunderstanding at home separates the companions, but all ends well, with “cuddling and playing,” a chess match and “brainteasers,” and the promise of caretaking for even more brainy pals. Zeb’s warmth shines throughout this unique oddball friendship tale with brains and heart.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nici Gregory. A bow tie–clad narrator, complete with flashlight under chin, relates a creative, funny-spooky tale about a strawberry jam sandwich being sampled by a vampire (“the vampire probably thought the jam was...something else”) and turning into a “vampire jam sandwich.” Digitally finished pencil illustrations — mostly sepia tones but with well-used pops of red — reflect the framing device of the narrator, later shown with pointy fangs and vampire cape, scamming jam from wide-eyed, unsuspecting children. It’s a silly premise with a humorous execution.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Slack. Acorn Squash feels left out every fall because their best friend Pumpkin is “the STAR of autumn.” Attempts to stand out leave Acorn feeling hopeless, until a helpful conversation with Pumpkin gives Acorn an idea: combining their flavors for “a double dose of autumn awesomeness!” Slack’s lively mix of spot, single, and double-page-spread art incorporates a fall color palette that complements the pumpkin craze plot; anthropomorphic gourds add to the story’s playfulness. The dejected squash, puns, speech bubble dialogue, and a PR team for Pumpkin allow McQueen to gently poke fun at humans’ annual obsession with everything pumpkin.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Hughes. While Pippin was known as the “BEST witch’s cat,” he wants to try his paw at some new roles, including being a pirate’s cat, a knight’s, and a girl’s pet. “But try as he might, nothing ever felt right!” After much soul searching, Pippin ends up back with Witch, and the book closes with the duo snuggling together on a couch. Rowland’s message about being open to new possibilities—and to returning home, if that’s what feels right—comes through clearly, and Hughes’s bright, cheerful illustrations provide a sense of frivolity.

Reviewer: Marva Anne Hinton

(3) K-3 The sisters from The Queen in the Cave (rev. 9/22) are at odds, and middle sister Carmela is sad enough to play “Walk Until You Can’t Walk Anymore.” Her travels take her to a witch’s tower, where she feels at home brewing potions, flying, and summoning other witches—and her improved mood carries over to her return home. The fanciful story is grounded in real emotion, allowing for satisfying moments of witchy self-actualization. Striking digital illustrations, perhaps appropriately dreamlike, make engagingly varied use of the space.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 A shy ghost lives alone in an attic and likes it that way. When a human visitor disturbs his peace, he tries to scare her off, to no avail — but maybe, he finds, that’s not such a bad thing. The story, smoothly translated from Japanese, offers readers and listeners the fun of realizing the ghost’s true feelings before he does. Charcoal pencil illustrations make creative use of contrast: the glowing white and sometimes transparent ghost pops off the black-and-white and night-blue backgrounds, as do the pastel hues introduced by the moon and the little girl.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Charlie Mylie. A young ghost sets off into the world to find "a place to haunt of my own," but every location is already occupied by unwelcoming specters who tell our hero to "get lost!" A helpful bird eventually leads it to an abandoned, empty garden shed. "It's perfect!"—until there's a knock on the door: an even younger ghost looking for a home. The palette of dark purple and black is appropriately creepy; the depictions of the established ghosts can be frightening, but the emphasis is on the endearing, unscary protagonist, with its “weird little” brown hat and small suitcase.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 Vampire Colin moves into his new home, a castle surrounded by a moat. There’s just one catch: it’s already inhabited by a duck that won’t leave, despite Colin’s many attempts to force it out. An omniscient narrator provides levity as Colin’s annoyance grows at the duck’s myriad ways of evading eviction, and plentiful sound effects make this tale read-aloud ready. Swain also incorporates humor in the detailed art, with varied layouts, motion, and a mischievous teal duck in the largely grayscale illustrations. “A vampire’s home is his castle,” but as Colin learns, he just may have to share it.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) 4-6 Bewitching Holiday Crafts series. This series entry provides instructions to make twelve Halloween-appropriate accessories using mostly recycled materials. Besides the first project ("Monster Feet"), which requires some items that may be difficult to source (old clogs and “window and door insulating foam spray”), the crafts creatively use common household materials. Simple, straightforward instructions are accompanied by photographs of various steps and occasional “Hair-Raising Tips” with craft variations and costume ideas.

Reviewer: Monica de los Reyes