Spooky Things Await You “In The Haunted House”!
Written: Apr 27 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Frightfully cute story, nice illustrations, great for early readers.
Cons: You have to read it twice to get the most from it!
The Bottom Line: Looking for a cute rhyming story for kids of all ages? This one is a great pick!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Eve Bunting - In the Haunted House |
When I first received this books I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not; I flipped through it and thought, “it’s cute, but maybe it’s too cute”. My friends know that I am a Halloween fanatic and over the past few years they’ve started getting my books of all types for my birthday, Christmas and other holidays when gifts are exchanged. I don’t consider myself someone that is difficult to buy for but most of them have given up trying to find “that special something” for me because I already have a tremendous amount of Halloween related things. Kids books are always a joy for me; we always have kids at the house and to be perfectly honest, some of the kids books are just too cute to pass up. You can pick them up, plop down on the couch for ten minutes and read it from cover to cover and come away from it with a smile. I’ve had this one for more than a few years and every Halloween it’s one that gets read at least five or six times – the more I read it to kids the more they love it and the better I get at adding a little bit of my own spooky drama to it.
In The Haunted House
When you first start reading this you really don’t know what is going on. You see two pair of feet entering a somewhat spooky looking house but it isn’t until the end of the book that you get the whole story so what ever you do don’t flip to the last few pages of you will ruin it! Like I said, when I first got this I didn’t really pay much attention to it. It looked like a cute book that was filled with rhyming words and some drawings and that was about it. After my youngest begged me to read this to him when we were waiting for cookies to come out of the oven I realized what a precious book it was. Long story short, you are going into a haunted house that’s filled with creatures big and small; some that fly, some that slither and some that appear only in the mirror [yeah, I made that one up]. You go from room to room with your unseen guides, only seeing their shoes and ankles along the way.
And now, to keep with the theme of the book .. a summation in [almost] rhyming form. You see the witches that number three, don’t get scared, just stay close to me. A bat, a cat and a big spooky box, a mummy sleeping in a bed but wait, in the corner there’s a big hairy fox. Oh don’t be silly it’s a huge werewolf washing off his snout! If you dare, if you care, walk into each room and stare. Things to see, in the dark and in the night, this place is pretty spooky and definitely full of fright. There’s a zombie and a ghost and very scary closet and a mirror with bloodcurdling faces on it. Just when you think everything fine you take the left turn and see something shine. It’s the same chandelier that you saw when you entered, covered with cobwebs and a little off center. The light from the sun washes over the hall and a frightfully good time has been had by all!
OK, that might seem pretty cheesy but it’s the best I can do. Now that this book has been read so many time by myself and the boys I’ve gotten pretty good at reading some of the scarier parts and adding some creepy noises to it. To get the most from this you have to read it twice. Why? Well, you don’t realize until the last few pages that it’s a little girl and her father going through a haunted house. You miss the arrows that are on the walls and the little things that should indicate that it is a haunted house – until you read it a second time and start looking for the little things that give it away.
My Take
Since the whole book rhymes it is a real hoot for kids to read – sometimes they try to read it as fast as possible to see who can get it the quickest and this more often than not leads them to rolling on the floor in laughter at some of the things they say mistakenly. This isn’t part of a reader series or classified as a level reader so I would have to say that this is best for the five to eight year old crowd as far as a set reading level but each kid is different. This makes for a cute read for classrooms and when kids are getting ready to celebrate Halloween and even though some of the things might seem a little scary, when you hit the end of the book and it’s revealed that it’s just a haunted Halloween house, everyone starts laughing – especially when the little girl drags her father inside for a second trip through.
The Bottom Line
This 28 page soft cover picture book was written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh; first published in 1990 this is sure to be something that kids of all ages will get a laugh out of and enjoy reading each Halloween. I am really glad that I gave this book a second look otherwise I might just have missed out on a great seasonal read. I recommend this to any teacher, parent or care giver that wants to add a little bit of scare into a classroom or group of kids … or just as a quiet read on a cold fall night when jack-o-lanterns line the sidewalks and kids dream of trick-or-treating!
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
Other awesome Halloween books for kids …
The Hallo-Wiener
Halloween Night on Shivermore Street
Spooky America
The Halloween Book
Crafts For Halloween
Aunt Eaters Mystery Halloween
Minnie And Moo Meet Frankenswine
Fluffy’s Happy Halloween
The Halloween House
Let’s Celebrate Halloween
Recommended:
Yes
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