Wednesday, October 29, 2014

How Spider Saved Hallowe'en - a book review



Quote of the day:

"Nothing on earth is so beautiful as the final haul on Hallowe'en night."  - Steve Almond


Today's featured book:




Author/Illustrator:  Robert Kraus
Published:  January 1, 1973

Let's take a peek inside shall we?





About the book:

I remember way back when, reading this book to my elementary school library classes and the kids just loving it.  

Spider is having a meltdown because every costume he creates cannot cover up the fact that well,  he is ..... Spider.  Discouraged and needing some friendly help and advice as what to do, he goes on over to Ladybug's house and finds her putting the finishing touches on her Hallowe'en jack'o lantern out on her porch.  Grumpy Fly is visiting and as a group they try to figure out what costume to dress him up in for trick or treating that night. The friends rack their brains to find the perfect one for Spider, but to no avail. He always ends up looking like ... well ... Spider.

Two bullies quietly approach and smash Ladybug's pumpkin to smithereens. She is heartbroken!  Something good can always come out a tragedy.  Spider has a brilliant idea to cheer Ladybug up. He grabs some orange paint and some green paper and transforms himself into a pumpkin! Happy again the threesome forge into the night to collect their loot.  As fate would have it they see the two bullies approaching and again Spider, who morphs into "Captain Pumpkin Superhero", rallies his troops and together they save the day.  

This is a story of friendship, bravery and celebrating one of the most beloved evenings of the entire year...Hallowe'en!  Highly recommended to put into your Hallowe'en book collection. 

About the author:



Robert Kraus, a children's book author and a cartoonist, illustrator and publisher, died on Aug. 7 in a nursing home in Kent, Conn. He was 76 and had lived in Manhattan in recent years.
The cause was congestive heart failure, said his son C. William Kraus.
Mr. Kraus wrote, illustrated and edited more than 100 children's books from 1955 to the late 1990's.
When Barbara Bush was first lady and mounting her literacy campaign, she read one of his most successful books, ''Leo the Late Bloomer'' (1971, HarperCollins), on television to a young audience. The book is about an underachieving young tiger who finally catches up with his young tiger contemporaries.





Book Review Rating:  9 (Close to perfection!)

Read on and read always. Have an amazing day.

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