Poetry Friday -- review: Scarum Fair

Scarum Fair by Jessica Swaim. Illustrated by Carol Ashley. Wordsong, 2010 (978-1-59078-590-4) $17.95

Welcome NOT to Scarum Fair, where the devil's food cake is served by real devils, the Scary-Go-Round never lets you off and the Crocodile Slide will cost you an arm and a leg. This collection of verse is an entertaining parody of county fairs that will appeal to readers who enjoy puns: the sax player in the Sleeping Dead Band de-composes, competition is stiff in the coffin race, bad luck often strikes those who ride the Rattler Coaster. Dark illustrations, heavy on gruesome green, combine genuine creepiness with a touch of cute, to help keep the scariness on the silly side.

None of the poems really stood out for me, except the appealing randomness and hint of intrigue in "The Palm Reader":

"Your garden will die," Madame says with a frown,
You could have a green thumb if you'd just knuckle down."
She closes The Hand, and she gives it a squeeze.
"You owe me ten bucks and a slice of swiss cheese."

The Hand waves goodbye as it exists the booth
with a fistful of lies and a pinch of the truth.

Other than that, it's an easy read aloud with general kid appeal, though perhaps less accessible to those who aren't familiar with fairs. (6 & up)

© 2010 Wendy E. Betts

FTC disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher. This blog is completely independent, but I receive a small percentage if you order books from Powell's via this site.

review: Ghosts in the House

Ghosts in the House! written and illustrated by Kazuno Kohara. Roaring Brook, 2008 (978-1-59643-427-1) $12.95

With its palette of black and orange and ghostly white, this book just calls out "Halloween," but it also has another message: Take charge of your fears. A little girl goes to live in a splendid old house at the edge of town and discovers it's HAUNTED! But no problem: the girl whips out her witch's hat, her white cat whips out a black witch-cat costume, and the two fly off on her broomstick to catch the ghosts. Soon each ghost has been washed, hung out to dry--smiling ghost faces indicate this is quite fun--and are put to use around the house, as curtains, tablecloths, and cozy throws. "And they all lived happily ever after," with the girl and cat sleeping under ghost blankets, which are also peacefully sleeping.

Flat, almost monochromatic linocuts are very striking, entirely orange and black with heavy black and orange outlines, except for the delightfully see-through white ghosts. The matter-of-fact air with which the witch girl tames the ghosts, and their simple cheerfulness, are equally appealing. (3-6)

© 2009 Wendy E. Betts

Other blog reviews:

The Planet Esme Plan

Bees Knees Reads

review: Boo, Bunny!

Boo, Bunny! by Kathryn O. Galbraith. Illustrated by Jeff Mack. Harcourt, 2008 (978-0-15-21646-7) $16.00

The title of this book sets the stage well for the effective mix of spooky and cute it contains. It begins with "One shy bunny. One dark night" and the night is very dark indeed for the shy bunny--until it bumps into another shy bunny, and they discover how much easier it is to be brave with "two paws held tight." Short rhyming phrases create an evocative story: "One soft whoooooo! One loud booo! Jump. Bump! "Eeek! "Squeak!" The details are filled in by the acrylic illustrations, which give a sharply defined, tactile look to the two bunnies, making them look like favorite stuffed animals; the darkness of the night is accentuated by simple, bold shapes and lovely, ever-changing jewel toned colors. There's something about the book's visual aesthetic that doesn't entirely grab me, a overly gilded artificiality--but perhaps that helps provide a measure of distance from the spookiness. Overall, an appealing way to add to the Halloween atmosphere for young children. (3-6)

Other blog reviews:
Books for Kids by Frog Mom
Provo City Library Children's Book Review
Renee's Reading Corner

ghostwriting

This post reminded me that it's actually a reasonable time to start looking for Halloween books. (Being very un-fond of Christmas decorations in June, I tend to go overboard in the opposite direction and post my suggestions way too late for anyone to actually get ahold of the books.) So just a reminder that I have a bibliography of spooooooky books and I'll try to get some new titles in before, say, Thanksgiving.

meow and boo!

I haven't personally vetted this, because my computer don't do Youtube, but Aaron Shepard sends word of a Halloweeny Reading of his book King O' the Cats, and unless someone has swiped Aaron's email, it should be a child-friendly and enjoyable presentation.

(Word on the street is that a new-ish computer will be coming my way soon, so perhaps I will finally get to understand what all the fuss about this here Interweb is about.)

review: The Old Willis Place

The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn. Clarion, 2004 (0-618-43018-0) $15; 2007 (978-0-618-89741-4) $5.95 pb


Diana and her brother Georgie live near the spooky Old Willis Place,
bound by a set of rigid "rules" to always stay hidden and alone. With
no one to talk to but each other, the two amuse themselves by spying
on and teasing the estate caretakers that constantly come and go. But
when a new caretaker arrives with a daughter about Diana's age, the
urge to make a friend becomes irresistible. Will breaking the rules
lead to a horrible punishment--or might it be the means to their
rescue? Equal parts scary and sad, this is a compelling ghost story
with an unexpectedly tender message of redemption. (9-12)