The Haunted House That Jack Built. Helaine Becker. Illustrated by David Parkins. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2010. 32 pp., pbk., $7.99. ISBN 978-0-545-98539-0. Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 4-7. Review by Christina Neigel. ***½/4

excerpt:

This is the beast with the pointy horn,
That tossed the mummy,
That chased the ghoul,
That scared the ghost,
That sampled the stew
That cooled in the house that Jack built.

Inspired by The House That Jack Built, Becker and Parkins create a delightful story of Halloween fun. Each double page spread features a new ghoul, with the exception of the "fairy all forlorn" who is bit by the "count, on the prowl until morn". The cute wit, combined with the comical illustrations, makes this a great read-aloud book. Both children and adults can enjoy the brightly coloured pages, the evenly paced rhymes, the spirited characters and the satisfying ending - complete with Verta Bray's Recipe for Halloween Skeleton Stew.

     A great addition to Halloween collections!

Highly Recommended.

Christina Neigel is the program head for the Library and Information Technology Program at the University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, BC.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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