Synopsis
The book of the Halloween season that’s sure to become a year-round classic.
One witch, on a hill, had an empty pot to fill. So what does that one witch do? She goes around to visit all her fiendish friends, naturally; two cats, three scarecrows, four goblins, five vampires, six mummies, seven owls, eight ghosts, nine skeletons, and ten werewolves.
At every stop they contribute ghoulishly tasty ingredients until the witch has enough to make a properly gruesome stew for her party. Then, of course, she must send out her invitations; to the ten werewolves, nine skeletons, eight ghosts, seven owls, six mummies…
Count up and count down again as one witch gets ready for a fun-filled monster bash. Come along, they’ve got a special surprise waiting just…FOR…YOU!
Publishers Weekly
Leuck's (Goodnight, Baby Monster) smooth counting rhyme tracks a witch as she collects nasty "goodies" from ghosts, goblins and the like. "Two cats/ inside a pail/ gave the witch/ a fish's tail./ Three scarecrows/ stuffed with straw/ gave the witch/ a blackbird's claw." After hoarding nine icky ingredients, the witch concocts a potluck stew and issues invitations; the rhymes now let readers count down, from 10 to one. "(Everybody loved it too!)/ They saved the last bowl just for.../ you!" Schindler's (Runaway Pumpkin, reviewed below) closely observed, echoes-of-Gorey images build to a surprise conclusion: the witch turns to the unsuspecting audience, proffering a steaming dish. Ages 3-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.