Halloween

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-These introductory, controlled-vocabulary treatments of holidays present from six to nine facts about each celebration. The text, written in English on the top of the page and Spanish on the bottom, is paired with a color photograph or period reproduction. Halloween is the strongest title, with a clear tie made to Europe and the Druidic beliefs behind Samhain, an early observance of the day of the dead. The books conclude with a "Words to Know" page, giving five or six words from the text illustrated with small inset photos and a short, accurate bilingual index. The texts are lackluster, working neither as interest reading nor as story. There is insufficient factual material for even the briefest of reports, and the pictures are not particularly engaging. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.