A robber, a ghost, a witch, a scarecrow, a skeleton and a jack-o-lantern all go sneaking down the road one dark night in this deliciously spooky Halloween picture-book. Then they are stopped in their tracks by a suspicious and scary squeaking noise, and beat a hasty retreat to their homes, leaving the street to the creature that frightened them...

Although Edna Mitchell Preston's rhythmic text never explicitly spells it out, the spooky and charming artwork from illustrator Kurt Werth makes it plain that One Dark Night occurs on Halloween. The ostensible robber, ghost, witch, scarecrow, skeleton and jack-o-lantern are revealed as trick-or-treaters in the final illustration, and their flight is made humorous by the source of the squeaking: a tiny mouse. Although I wouldn't described this one as a personal Halloween favorite, from a narrative perspective, I did find it entertaining, and the delightful artwork from Werth lifted it from a three to a four-star book. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for Halloween picture-books that are both spooky and humorous. ( )