Do you love Seinfeld? Do you have half the episodes memorized because you've watched the reruns hundreds of times? Do you know exactly what I mean when I say "master of your domain", "yada yada yada", and "sponge-worthy"? Do you laugh every time you hear "junior mint", "chocolate babka" and "marbled rye"? Finally, do you celebrate "Festivus"? If so, then clearly you're a fan of Seinfeld, and also, probably, of Jerry Seinfeld. You might, therefore, enjoy his very first picture book, called Halloween.

What is it?

This is a picture book written for kids-at-heart. Anyone who has warm, fond memories of that wonderful American tradition we call Halloween. In this book, Jerry recalls his childhood Halloween experiences. He remembers back when he was a kid, and the only thing on his mind is GET CANDY. He reminds us of all of the difficulties of trick-or-treating. From those masks with the little rubber band strap - you know the one that snaps while you're at the first house. So you have to keep pushing the end back under that little staple, thus the strap gets tighter and tighter as the evening goes on. And the humiliation of finally getting your Superman costume, but being forced by Mom to wear your winter coat over it.

With every sentence, you "hear" Jerry Seinfeld. You can just picture him saying, "Come on lady, let's go! Halloween, doorbells, candy, let's pick it up in there." And calling after his friends as he tries to fix his mask and walk at the same time, "You guys, WAIT UP!" Then mentioning as an aside that "Kids don't want other kids to wait, they want them to wait UP". He mentions that adults always ask the same stupid question... "What are YOU supposed to be?" Little Jerry's answer... "I'm supposed to be DONE by now. You want to move it along with the 3Muskateers?"

The colorful illustrations by James Bennett are terrific. You basically see Seinfeld's face with all of its distinguishing features, scaled down to a child's body. There's a funny illustration of a slightly older Jerry, after he gives up on the rubber-banded masks, dressing as an accountant, wheeling a filing cabinet behind him, instead of carrying a bag for the treats. The drawers of the cabinet are labeled "Nutty Things", "Crunchy Things", "Sour Things", and of course, "Rejects".

Final Thoughts

This book is adorable. Fans of Seinfeld, fans of Jerry Seinfeld, and anyone with memories of Halloween will enjoy this book. If you don't fall into any of the 3 categories, then I guess this book will sail right over your head. But for the rest of us, we'll enjoy the humor, and the pictures. While this is laid out like a children's picture book, I tend to think adults will enjoy it more. I think the irony in the humor will be lost on kids, although they might enjoy the illustrations.

Written in 2002, with 29 (unnumbered) pages. 10.5" by 10". Each page has a full sized illustration with just a few sentences on it.

Recommended: Yes