A fun interactive read aloud. ( )

Just Say Boo! is one of the best Halloween books for young children I've seen yet. The book manages to cover a lot of the traditions of the holiday without being at all didactic. Each spread of the book shows some aspect of the holiday and its spooky atmosphere and features some catchy rhyming text that ends with a question. The answer on the next page is always "BOO!" (with one notable exception half way through, which turned out to be rather funny). This consistent format makes for an easy call-and-response type of read aloud, with the children all shouting "boo!" at the end of each question (and then laughing the one time they had the fake out and another response is given). When I read this aloud to a 4-year-old and 6-year-old, they were both completely hooked, even the more rambunctious older child. The younger child particularly loved the part where he got to shout out the response before we turned to the next page.

In addition, the illustrations are well done, with lots of fun details besides portraying what the text says. Overall, I would very much recommend this book for reading with young children right around Halloween. ( )

A fun little story about children just saying "Boo!" when they are scared. It also encourages manners by reminding children to say thank you after receiving something. This would be a fun holiday story to read to children during October. ( )

"If the ghosts in the trees / wibble-wobble your knees, / what do you say?" begins this rhyming Halloween story in which every frightening experience calls forth the same response: "BOO!" Whether confronted with whirling winds, or facing the flickering grin of a jack-a-lantern, the young trick-or-treaters in this tale can always fall back on that time-honored exclamation, emphasizing the fun of the season and banishing the fright.

With a rhyming text that is simple but effective - it reads smoothly, and has a nice rollicking rhythm to it - and colorful artwork that will capture and keep children's attention, Just Say Boo! would make for an excellent Halloween story-hour selection. I'm reading it a little out of season myself, as I wasn't able to get a hold of it at the time that a goodreads friend recommended it to me, but I think it perfectly evokes the feelings of Halloween night, providing a few scares, but also plenty of reassurance. Recommended to anyone looking for Halloween fare for the younger picture-book audience. ( )

Three siblings go out tricking treating for Halloween. They run into scary creatures and freighting nature as the walk home to safety. ( )