General & Miscellaneous Holidays, Fiction - Holidays & Festivals, Poetry - Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes & Fingerplays, Poetry - Basic Concepts & Education, Fiction - Basic Concepts, Counting

10 Trick-or-Treaters

Name: 10 Trick-or-Treaters
Author: Janet Schulman
ISBN: 9780375832253

by Janet Schulman, Linda Davick

Write a review

Overview

10 trick-or-treaters
on a dark and spooky night
out to get some candy
or give someone a fright.

Little do these ten trick-or-treaters know that they are the ones who will be frightened on Halloween night when a toad hops near, a skeleton tries to join their dance party, and a monster asks to share their candy.

This not-too-scary Halloween counting book features the bright, bold artwork of Linda Davick and the comforting, lively rhythms of Janet Schulman's story, making it the perfect gift for young trick-or-treaters everywhere!

Synopsis

10 trick-or-treaters
on a dark and spooky night
out to get some candy
or give someone a fright.

Publishers Weekly

Ten children emerge from a violet-tinted apartment building and board a yellow bus: "10 trick-or-treaters.../ standing in a line./ Along came a spider.../ and then there were 9." The celebrants lose their nerve one by one as they encounter a bat, (costumed) monster and other Halloween standbys. Schulman (Countdown to Spring!) composes another zippy countdown, playfully listing the frights. In appealing pictures as smooth and bright as candy sprinkles, Davick (Ready, Set, Grow!) crafts each child's costume and provides details (such as a licorice-black cat) unmentioned in the bouncy rhyme. Ages 3-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

About the Author, Janet Schulman

Janet Schulman has worked in children’s publishing for more than forty years. Her favorite Halloween candy is Good & Plenty. She lives in New York, New York.

Linda Davick loves to draw and eat candy at the same time. She lives in San Francisco, California.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

From Barnes & Noble

"Ten trick-or-treaters / on a dark and spooky night / out to get some candy / or give someone a fright." With its light tone, this Halloween counting book won't scare anybody, but young readers will enjoy its cheery message.

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature

Kids get to count down from ten as each trick-or-treater is chased off by a slightly frightening creature—spider, toad, bat, witch, mummy, vampire and the like. The pictures look computer generated and are not terribly interesting. The final page shows Halloween treats and kids can count down or up from zero to ten. It is a sugar-coated counting lesson, but a better example and one that can easily pair with this book is Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O'Connell (2000, Cartwheel/Scholastic). 2005, Knopf/Random House, Ages 1 to 4.
—Marilyn Courtot

School Library Journal

PreS-K-This countdown book begins with a cheery band of 10 masked and costumed children leaving an apartment building to begin their night of fun. As they board a bus to go to a party and trick-or-treat from house to house, their number slowly diminishes as each successive child is frightened off by costumed vampires, mummies, a frog, a bat, and other spooky creatures. The last brave child returns to her apartment, climbs happily into bed, "and then there were none." The book ends with a yummy array of different types of candy that kids will enjoy counting. Schulman's rhythmic text will be enjoyed as a read-aloud as well as by beginning readers. Davick's vibrant graphic art is chockablock with shapes and angles that keep the mood light and the creatures and costumed monsters more fun than frightening. A not-too-scary treat for the youngest Halloween fans.-Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha's Public Library, WI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Schulman gives the traditional count-down book a Halloween twist in this adaptation of the classic rhyme involving monkeys bouncing on a bed. When ten children embark upon an evening of candy-collecting, they meet up with a motley crew of Halloween creatures. From a harmless toad to a monster on the prowl for candy, the trick-or-treaters' numbers lessen by one with each eerie encounter. Schulman's verses successfully match the bouncy rhythm of the traditional rhyme while incorporating more whimsical aspects of Halloween into the descriptions of the children's activities. Davick's brightly hued illustrations go a long way to distill any frightening overtones in the tale. Each creature encountered is carefully depicted as harmless; the bat bears a smiling visage, the "mummy" is obviously a fellow trick-or-treater with purple polka-dotted underwear poking out of its wrappings, etc. Vibrant depictions of clever costumes will set readers to dreaming of their own Halloween escapades and the last page recaps with a Halloween candy graph representing the numerals ten through zero. (Picture book. 3-8)