The Scary Book - Hardcover

The tone of this compilation of stories, poems and jokes for Halloween is exemplified by Calmenson's retelling of the traditional "Tailypo." A man eats the tail of a strange creature which then comes after him seeking its "tailypo." Here, rather than eating him, the creature "turned him upside down, and shook, shook, shook him." The tail falls out and is retrieved, making the ending less scary than the original's. Other contributors include John Ciardi, Jane Yolen and Shel Silverstein--"The baby bat / Screamed out in fright, / 'Turn on the dark, / I'm afraid of the light.' " Line drawings--more zany than spooky--by Demarest ( No Peas for Nellie ; Morton and Sydney ) appear throughout, though a few tales, such as Coles's "Bony-Legs" and Lobel's "Strange Bumps," feature black-and-white versions of their original illustrations. In the spirit of Cole and Calmenson's previous efforts ( Ready . . . Set . . . Read! ; The Laugh Book ), this is a solid, enjoyable collection. Ages 7-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Grade 3-5-- An aptly named collection. Cole and Calmenson have compiled some popular picture-book titles, such as Cole's Bony-Legs (Four Winds, 1983) and Hirsh's The Rabbi and the Twenty-nine Witches (Holiday, 1981; o. p.), complete with their original artwork, for the first section of the book. They have added selections by such poets as Shel Silverstein, John Ciardi, and Myra Cohn Livingston and rounded out the anthology with games, tongue-twisters, and jokes. Author and title indexes and a page of acknowledgements to help readers identify original sources of the material are appended. The variety of entries and their arrangement flow nicely. Demarest's cover and inside art is appealing and eye catching. While there is nothing new in this book, it does have a light and breezy mood. Teachers will be grateful to find such treasures all in one spot. --Molly Kinney, Miami Dade Public Library System, Miami, FL
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.