The Thank You Letter

The Thank You Letter by author/illustrator Jane Cabrera

Age Range: 4 – 8 years

Publisher: Holiday House

Publication Date: October 29, 2019

A child named Grace has a costume birthday party. Afterwards, as people often do, Grace writes thank yous to those who thoughtfully gave her gifts. She realizes that she has many reasons to be thankful to people and things in her life and wants to show her gratitude. Illustrated costumes in this picture book are adorable.  Often people have  warm feelings when writing and receiving thank you letters. They are a nice way of cheering up someone’s day. Getting children to write thank you letters not only shows gratitude but is also a great way to practice penmanship.

Happy Halloween Pirates!

Happy Halloween Pirates! by author W. Harry Kim and illustrator Inna Chernyak

Age Range: 3 – 7 years

Publisher: Clever Publishing

Publication Date: August 13, 2019

In this rhyming board book, pirates are invited to a Halloween party. They think about costumes to wear. The reader can generate discussions about past costumes worn and/or costumes to be worn. There are flaps to lift which unveil surprises. This feature can encourage turn taking if read to a group of children. Illustrations are colorful and invite youngsters to read on. Good book to read as a precursor or during a Halloween party. The sturdiness of the book will ensure that it can be pulled off the shelf and read for years to come.

Zip! Zoom! On a Broom

Zip! Zoom! On a Broom by author Teri Sloat and illustrator Rosalinde Bonnet

Age Range: 3 – 5 years

Publisher: LB Kids

Publication Date: July 2, 2019

This  rhyming board book begins with one witch flying on her broom when she encounters witches two and three. Their numbers increase to ten while they continue to  do witchy deeds like haunt and chant for just two examples. Eventually all ten decide to ride one room which is catastrophic. One by one they leave the broom in different ways until only one witch is left. A Halloween way to reinforce counting skills for preschoolers and kindergarteners. Illustrations are appropriate and give children more to count than witches on some pages i.e. skeletons and spiders.