The Ghostly Carousel: Delightfully Frightful Poems

Gr 2–5—Brown (Hallowilloween) produces another humorous collection of nightmarish verse that introduces readers to such playful and lurid figures as Joel the zombie, Dublin's notorious goblins, Fritz the undertaker, and Medusa's hairstyling team. "The Jekyll Lantern" cleverly alludes to Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with discerning wordplay. Deliciously rich words like repugnant and fiend sparkle in this poem and others, incorporating rhyme and a steady meter perfect for reading aloud. Each poem uses literary devices such as alliteration and puns to enhance and balance the creepiness with comedic twists. Brown's acrylic illustrations are slyly sinister and satisfyingly gross. Readers will delight in cannibals dipping toes into fondue and Hank's insect pie recipe filled with plenty of creepy-crawlies. Although most of Brown's spooky poems lean toward the fantastic, it's his last poem that is most relatable: "I'm not afraid/of bats or bee stings,/but late at night/I think I see things—/spooky silhouettes." For in spite of all his wild imaginings, it's the fear of the ordinary becoming the extraordinary that truly terrifies.