Snake: Hey, Many, can we talk about this for a second?
Wolf: There’s no time to talk! Hold on little buddies. It’s time to go BE A HERO!
SWOOSH! SPLAT!
…Piranha: If we survive this, I’m going to eat that wolf.
Snake: Not if I do first.
–The Bad Guys (book 1) by Aaron Blabey
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He cooked some oatmeal, cleaned out the bowl, packed his gear, and got moving. Two more days, then he’d turn around. He wouldn’t reach the mountains where the dragons made their homes in that time, but if they didn’t come after him by then, he’d have to assume they didn’t want to talk. Until then, he had to keep putting one foot in front of the other. He tried to imagine he was on some kind of epic quest—which he was, but he didn’t feel very much like the hero in an adventure. Heroes always seemed to know exactly what they needed to do: throw the ring in the volcano; defeat Darth Vader in a duel. This was just walking.
-Refuge of Dragons (Voices of Dragons #2) by Carrie Vaughn
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In spite of herself, unconsciously almost, Kay smiled. No, she hadn’t run away. And the dragon hadn’t tried to eat her, and she had to rethink a lot of the old stories. She liked the idea that everyone had been wrong all this time. This wasn’t just an adventure—it was an adventure no one else had even thought of before.
–Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
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Frangoline and the Midnight Dream by Clemency Pearce and Rebecca Elliott
Frangoline was told to go to bed. Frangoline was told to stay in bed. Frangoline decided to get up, sneak out of the house, and explore the world at night, where she encounters many adventures and frightening things. Finally, the creatures of the night tell her to go home, go to bed, and stay there! Frangoline runs home and promises to be good – for tonight.
It’s a spooky book about a girl who breaks rules, takes risks and has adventures that very nearly become disastrous. The images and creatures are very Halloween-esque.
However, if you have a child who is inclined to actually leave the house and break the rules, then this book may not be for you. On the other hand, if your child simply enjoys a good adventure, this book may prove to be a big hit! The quote posted HERE should help you decide if Frangoline is a good fit for your family.
All of the Halloween themed books, quotes and commentary posted to this blog can be found HERE.
Suggestions for Building Excitement Over The Holidays
Ordering Books: Whether you are building a family library or simply looking for a fun way to build-up to the Halloween celebration, having brand new books shipped to your home, in your child’s name, is a great way to do it. To a child, it is super exciting to receive a package in the mail, addressed to them! They may even want to read their brand-new book immediately AND before bed.
Library Holds: If you’d prefer to review the books before buying them, or need to maintain a tight budget, then use the local library. Go to the library website, locate the book and place it on hold. When the notification arrives, bring the child along and let them help find the books in the on-hold shelves.
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Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Sheffler
Room on the Broom has become something of a Halloween staple. It’s even been turned into a rather good cartoon.
It’s a wonderful story about a witch who keeps dropping things and finding woodland creatures who help her find them again. Each creature asks to join the witch on her broom and she happily agrees. Unfortunately, the broom can’t handle that much weight. A large dragon who like to eat witches attacks the overloaded broom, causing it to snap and allowing the dragon to catch the witch! But, fear not! The woodland creatures come to the rescue by scaring away the horrid dragon!
I love this story…BUT….it’s important to note that the which is very nearly eaten by a dragon, the illustrations show her being lifted into the dragon’s jaws, and the whole event is drawn out far longer than similar events in other children’s books.
The way the story is told proved to be extremely scary for some of the children in my life, and that made them dislike the book long-term.
I recommend previewing this book before reading it to your child. If it looks like something that they will find exceptionally scary, then wait a year or two before adding it to your Halloween-reading collection.
A quote can be found HERE.
All of the Halloween themed books, quotes and commentary posted to this blog can be found HERE.
Suggestions for Building Excitement Over The Holidays
Ordering Books: Whether you are building a family library or simply looking for a fun way to build-up to the Halloween celebration, having brand new books shipped to your home, in your child’s name, is a great way to do it. To a child, it is super exciting to receive a package in the mail, addressed to them! They may even want to read their brand-new book immediately AND before bed.
Library Holds: If you’d prefer to review the books before buying them, or need to maintain a tight budget, then use the local library. Go to the library website, locate the book and place it on hold. When the notification arrives, bring the child along and let them help find the books in the on-hold shelves.
Amazon.com
King Neptune beamed and hugged his smallest child. “My Minnow,” he boasted to he entire kingdom, “is a daring explorer!”
–The Mermaid and the Shoe by K.G. Campbell
This month the giggle book award goes to a story about James, a little boy who wants to be a superhero. He is blessed with an active imagination and an impressive array of highly resourceful talents. The combination gets him into quite a bit of trouble. Therefore, the first half of the book illustrated him doing things that are both destructive and potentially dangerous.
Normally, this fact would result in posting a quote with a gentle warning. However, the second half of the story provides an important twist: Action Movie Kid (AKA: James) gets himself into real trouble. He doesn’t just incur the wrath of his parents, he has to scream for help.
Amazon.com
Mom and dad come running and get him out of trouble – by transforming into Action Movie Mom and Action Movie Dad! Together, as a family, they rescue James from a dangerous situation, defeat the (imaginary) monster and clean up the (very real) mess.
The best part about this ending is the combination of text and images provide an implied solution that does not involve complete forgiveness. It’s more akin to parents taking the opportunity to use the situation as a learning experience.
The children in my life really love the moment when mom and dad come to the rescue. Honestly, I think that one cliffhanger is the reason why this book has been requested many times over.
Also, I should point out that Action Movie Kid entered my home as a book. It wasn’t until I sat down to write this post that I discovered the Action Movie Kid you tube channel. I started viewing the videos and immediately had a child sitting in my lap saying “watch that one next!”
The book and the videos are both a lot of fun. I encourage anyone or any age to check them out!
Quote:
“With teamwork, they put that bad guy right where he belonged, along with everything else. With the enemy defeated, the world could now rest easy – and so could our hero.”
Action Movie Kid, written by Daniel Hashimoto and Mandy Richardville, and illustrated by Valerio Fabbretti
Amazon.com
“High up on the opera house roof, under the stars and among the beehives, Papa Bear and his cub settle to sleep. After all, hibernation is better with honey. And adventure is best enjoyed together.”
–The Bear’s Song by Benjamin Chaud
Additional Notes: