Halloween Surprise

PreS-Gr 2—With Halloween approaching, Lily needs a costume for trick-or-treating, but she can't decide what she wants to be. With her two white kitties looking on, she makes several outfits: ghost, pirate, pumpkin, ballerina, gypsy, princess, and robot. But they are too scary, mean, clumsy, flouncy, jangly, glittery, or bulky. Finally, with inspiration from her pets, Lily comes up with the perfect costume and surprises her dad in a foldout illustration. The soft, orange-hued drawings done in pencil, watercolor, and gouache are appropriate for the season and full of activity as the industrious little girl goes to work. Children will enjoy the Lily's imagination and the reactions of her kittens as she creates several costumes from materials she finds around her house. The just-right size of the book; plentiful white space; and large, clean font make this a good choice for beginning readers. A cheerful addition to Halloween collections.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT