Tag: halloween

Activity and Coloring Sheets, Children's Literature (Ages Birth - 7), Picture Books/Easy Books (Ages 3 and up) (Fiction), Reviews

Review: The Pumpkin Thief by Alice Hemming

BentenShisho

Hemming, Alice. (2026). The Pumpkin Thief. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.

*Downloadable activity sheet at the end of the post!

Buddies Bird and Squirrel plant a garden (well, maybe one a little more than the other), and after some impatience on the part of squirrel, five lovely little pumpkins grow, each different in their own way.

Squirrel is very smitten with the largest orange one. (I’m rather partial to those too, Squirrel!) But when Squirrel looks away for just a moment, he notices only four pumpkins remain…

…then three…

…then two…then one…and when he goes to tell Bird there is a pumpkin thief afoot, Bird is missing! OH NO!

So he packs up the last pumpkin and goes searching for clues to find Bird. He will not give up!

He finds holes made from a beak, and a feather, a swishy mark in the dirt and foot tracks! He draws a sketch of the culprit based on the clues he’s found but he is frantic. “Give. Bird. Back!” he says. “You can keep ALL the pumpkins…” And suddenly, there is bird on top of the last pumpkin. “Um, is everything ok, Squirrel?”

Squirrel finds out the truth behind the clues he misinterpreted, and the disappearing pumpkins But also, the fate of the final pumpkin he covets.

Super adorable book. This is the first in the series I have read, but there are more! Take a look. Good lessons to be had about making assumptions, not paying attention, but also, having good friends. Perfect for Fall.

Activity Sheets:

Original Source: Librarian and Educator Resources | Sourcebooks, LLC.

Pumpkin Thief Activity Sheets
Children's Literature (Ages Birth - 7), Picture Books/Easy Books (Ages 3 and up) (Fiction), Reviews

Review: Hap-pea Halloween by Keith Baker

BentenShisho

Baker, Keith. (2025). Hap-Pea Halloween. Beach Lane Book.

Keith Baker has a whole series of these “little pea” books. This one, of course, is Halloween themed. I actually really love his illustrations. I think they are creative, vivid, colorful, expressive, and full of silly, crazy detail.

The book content, I’m not super jazzed about. The entire book is just asking what/who will you be for Hallowee, and then gives you pages of suggestions with peas dressed as the suggestions.

Again, the illustrations are the stars here. The peas’ costumes are awesome and fun to point out with a little one.

It does mention, of course, that it is time to carve a jack-o-lantern.

And then you get to see what the carved jack-o-lanterns look like the peas’ town. Again, illustration is the star here. Then it goes back to asking about what you’re going to be for Halloween for a few more pages.

Then it shows the town, block by block and the little peas knocking on the doors trick-or-treating, which is, of course, colorful, fun, sweet and delightful. I particularly like the little werewolf pea in the middle and the moon in the back.

And this is the closing page.

So, not my favorite Halloween picture book. This one more has me lukewarm, but honestly, I liked it even more the second time I read it, while writing this, because I noticed more nuance and really appreciated the illustrations so much more. So, keep that in mind.

Recommended Ages: 3-5

Juvenile Fiction (Ages 8 -12), Juvenile Literature (Ages 8-12), Reviews

Review: Villains Academy by Ryan Hammond

BentenShisho

Hammond, Ryan. (2024.) Villains Academy. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.

*Downloadable activity sheets available at the end of this post!

This is the first of three (so far) books in this series and was recommended to me by a library kid, and I take those recommendations seriously.

It’s a younger chapter book about a school for kids learning to be villains. Lots of cute black and white illustrations and an engaging storyline.

It focuses on a young werewolf, Bram, who doesn’t feel like, or believe in himself as, a villain, at least not like his dads, and that makes him very self-conscious. Little does he know, others are just as worried about their “badness” and disappointing their parents.

He and his classmates are put into teams, and with how horribly his first couple of days have gone, with a teacher out for his expulsion and feeling like he can do nothing right, he’s really hoping his team can band together and be true friends.

The only problem is a young witch, Mona, who keeps her distance, and the fact that the rest of his team, the Weirdoughs, are keeping a secret from him and letting him shoulder the blame.

But after failures and foibles, both alone and as a team, they face a mysterious maze full of monsters and killer plants. They must emerge together and learn the secret that will allow them to get out before the other team. In the meantime, they will come to know each other better, and what it truly means to be good enough.

It’s a great story of friendship and feelings, finding your confidence and your purpose, standing up for yourself with elements of magic and mystery. It’s a great alternative for Harry Potter for younger readers. (I will continue to review alternatives for HP, but if you must read them, please do so by checking them out from your local library rather than funding hate by giving J.K. Rowling your money.)

Thanks for the recommendation, library kid!

Recommended Ages: 7-10

Activity Sheets:

Original Source: Villains Academy | Book by Ryan Hammond | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

Villains Academy – Activity Sheets

Adult Literature, Adult Non-Fiction, Reviews

Review: Oh My Gourd!:How to Carve A Pumpkin Plus 29 Other Fun Halloween Activities by Jack Hallow

BentenShisho

Hallow, Jack. (2023). Oh My Gourd! How to Carve a Pumpkin Plus 29 Other Fun Halloween Activities. Smith Street Books.

The beginning of this book gives you basic instructions on how to carve a pumpkin. The back has a couple of cute stencils. But the best part is the humor with which the author gives you those instructions. For example:

Not often do you find instructions that tell you to behead, disembowel and vandalize your pumpkin, potentially with the face of an ex-lover or your favorite Abba tunes. HA!

Beyond that, there are some great recipes…what the book mostly consists of. I personally am planning on trying the pumpkin bread, pumpkin waffles (as soon as I find the cord for my waffle iron) and candied pumpkin. Though you might like the Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Martini, (yes, this is marketed as an adult book), or pumpkin soup, which also sounded yummy!

There is also a pumpkin hummus recipe, but I recall a Kitchen Nightmare episode of Yanni’s Greek Restaurant, in our very own Seattle, where Gordon Ramsey was appalled at the idea of a pumpkin hummus. So, try it if you dare.

But there are also instructions for pumpkin led crafts, like this beautiful pumpkin floral centerpiece. (I’ve also used a pumpkin as a planter before. It’s beautiful!)

Also, a pumpkin hair mask.

A gourd water cask!! Just like some of my favorite animated/anime characters.

Also, this pretty and practical wildlife feeder, among many more! There’s also information on using them as compost, maracas, risotto, ravi pie, donuts, cupcakes, chips, etc. etc.

This is a pretty unassuming book at about 68 pages. It’s a little undersized but I really liked it! It packs a lot of information, yummy recipes and colorful photos into its midst. I can’t wait to try them.

Recommended Ages: Adult

Children's Literature (Ages Birth - 7), Picture Books/Easy Books (Ages 3 and up) (Fiction), Reviews

Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky by Jory John

BentenShisho

John, Jory. (2021). The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Mr. Seed is in a bad mood with a bad attitude. Halloween is his favorite holiday, but he just can’t find a costume good enough! The ones he has tried just won’t work out and he’s afraid of being underdressed.

In fact, he is so obsessed with the thought that everyone will out dress him that he is willing to take drastic measures.

He tells everyone that Halloween has been cancelled until tomorrow, due to a storm…and squirrels? He figures this will give him more time! Ha ha! He succeeded. Or did he?

Pumpkin seeds walks up to him and reminds him that it isn’t about the costumes. They don’t have to be fancy. They can be simple and still great, but it’s not even about that. It’s about celebrating autumn, and friends, and spending time together.

And suddenly, Mr. Seed isn’t so sure he has succeeded after all. He must fix his mistake! He gathers everyone together again and tells them, false alarm! Halloween is back on! Continue with the trick-or-treating. Everyone is so relieved. Mr. Seed goes back home and decides he’s going to take some paper bags and figre out his costume then go have fun! No squirrels here folks!

Or are there? 😉

Super cute. Happy for Mr. Seed. Another good title in this series, and excellent illustrations by Pete Oswald, as always.I love the message. It isn’t about the money, or the cost. It is about enjoying nature and each other. Don’t over complicate it.

Recommended Ages: 3-7