And Then Comes Halloween

When nighttime creeps closer to suppertime, And red and gold seep into green leaves...Then it’s time to decide what to be.

As soon as geese fly south, children take autumn's cue to start their preparations: it’s almost Halloween! With poetic language and vivid collage illustrations, Tom Brenner and Holly Meade follow all the familiar rituals, from hanging paper skeletons to carving pumpkins, from costume-making to trick-or-treating. Halloween lovers will be eager to grab a bag or bucket and join them on this lively and lyrical journey.

The New York Times - Lawrence Downes

as sweet a marriage of words and pictures as you could hope for…Brenner's text and Meade's cut-paper collages summon a family, a neighborhood, a whole world attuned to the simple pleasures of a homemade Halloween

Tom Brenner says of his inspiration for AND THEN COMES HALLOWEEN, his first book for children, "I watched October dress up for one last colorful romp before winter and felt the wild energy that sends kids out wearing capes or weird hats to rule the street for a night." He lives on Vashon Island, Washington.

Holly Meade has illustrated many picture books, including David Elliott’s ON THE FARM as well as the Caldecott Honor-winning HUSH! A THAI LULLABY and its follow-up, PEEK! A THAI HIDE-AND-SEEK, both by Minfong Ho. She lives in Sedgwick, Maine.