As an unconventional librarian, and life-long learner, I constantly find myself curious about new topics and eager to share book reviews, experiences, research and media, contributing to an "Accidental Education" that only comes from living in a digital age, or a monumental library!
Rothmann, Scott. (2026). The Halloween Trampoline. Viking.
We start off with the explanation that every Halloween the monsters pull out their trampoline. It has become tradition. Then the book tells us what happens when certain monsters jump on the trampoline, in rhyme.
The werewolf bouncing was my favorite. How cute is that.
The zombie losing his eye until it plops into the skeleton grossed me out.
I also wasn’t a huge fan of trick-or-treaters having to bribe the monsters with jellybeans to use their trampoline. But there’s a tickle machine, and a witch turning mean kids into little monsters…which oddly I was also not super thrilled about. But I can see the appeal for certain kids. Rhyming is good for phonics and I enjoy Justus’s illustrations.
Archer, Peggy. (2026). Three Little Witches and the Spooky Old House. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
*Downloadable coloring sheet at the end of this post!
“Three little witches- one with a broom, one with a sack, one with a pot- walk down the dark, dark road.”
They enter the big spooky old house and start to make a spell! One sweeps with her broom, one splits the sac, the other yields magic in the big black pot! What could they be doing?
They encounter a dusty old ghost, a fat black cat, and owl, and a spider, a crawling bug, and a little mouse as they go about their spellwork, fixing windows, setting out plates, and messing about the giant pot.
Then, all sorts of scary creatures appear at the door, and the three little witches lead them to the table: a mummy, a green goblin, and a huge, hungry ogre.
Mmmm…what is that delicious smell coming from the big, black pot. Will it be ready soon? POPCORN!!! Everyone is invited!
And those three little witches, maybe their spell did work, because suddenly, that looks like one cozy, warm house with a whole lot of friends.
A sweet book, while lyrical in prose, but not necessarily rhyming, reminds me a little of “Brown Bear, Brown Bear,What Do You See?” by Bill Martin, which is an absolutely classic. It has moody, dark illustrations that get warmer, and cozier as the book goes on and assumptions are challenged about the attendees and the witches’ intentions and actions. In the end, all the friends are having a great Halloween party together, and the house is happy and cozy. Perfect for a Fall night.
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.
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.
Cuevas, Mayra. (2025). My Abuela Is A Bruja. Knopf Books for Young Readers.
This little girl is positive that her grandmother is a bruja (a witch).
“There is magic in everything she does. What is her secret? I want to know!” She is an island bruja living in a house on a hill where “the sky meets the ocean.” They take advantage of the island’s river and waterfalls on hot days and on cool days, the animals lead them into the forest’s magical spaces and sing them lullabies.She wants to be a bruja like her grandma.
Her abuela is a garden bruja. She grows all of the best and most amazing plants in Puerto Rico, and teaches her granddaughter how to dig in the earth with her bare hands, sowing and planting.
There’s even magic when abuela let’s her water their seeds with the hose. Check out that rainbow and the rainbow colored birds in its spray!
Abuela is a dancing bruja, dancing to and playing music with her granddaughter, swaying to the beat. Abuela is a kitchen bruja, combining plants and ingredients into delicious, magical dishes like sofrito and sugary delicious, flan, eaten on the porch in the cool evening.
She feels abuela’s bruja magic when she tucks her in, lights the candle and “prays I’ll have good dreams.” With forehead kisses she imparts the same magic that the little girl dreams of.
“Mija, you already have your own magic. It grows strong from deep roots in our land, nurtured by all the brujas that came before and will come after.“ You can see and imagine their power, all the women who came before her.
And as she falls asleep she, the brujita or “the little witch,” knows in her heart “Abuela’s magic will always be with me.”
I included a lot more quotes from the book than I typically do, just because there was no better way to say it or share what the book was trying to convey. It is beautiful, with Lorena Alvarez Gomez’s stunning jewel-toned illustrations creating island magic all their own, and Mayra Cuevas sweet, loving adoration in word form. She’s very much talking about her own grandma (Abuela) in Puerto Rico and recalling the magic of their time together. And I 100% believe her Abuela is a bruja, because she made the most powerful magic every day, with love, nature and intuition passing it along to future generations.
You’ll also find Abuela’s recipes for Sofrito and Flan in the back with a Spanish glossary and man did it make me miss my grandmothers.
