Book Review: Halloween

Halloween is a holiday that many kids in America (and increasingly around the world) know about, but if you want to approach learning about Halloween as part of fall traditions, Halloween by Nancy Dickmann is a nice addition to your Halloween library.

Illustrated by Laura Borio, the book tells the story of Luna and her family as they celebrate fall and get ready for Halloween. They go to the pumpkin patch, make decorations and costumes and decorate pumpkins (one of which looks like a sugar skull so you can tie this book to Dia de Los Muertos as well).

The family throws a party with special snacks like candy apples and hot dog mummies, and they take part in a trunk or treat activity as well as traditional door to door trick or treating. (Spoiler alert: Luna’s view on candy corn may be a little controversial.)

The book emphasizes that Halloween is about creativity (and candy) not really scary stuff.

And while it’s not part of the main story, there is a section in the back about traditions that lead to our modern day Halloween celebrations, such as the Celtic festival of Samhain, the Catholic All Saints and All Souls’ days. It also talks about Halloween traditions like carving pumpkins, wearing costumes and trick or treating.

It also touches on Dia de Los Muertos, the Hungry Ghost Festival in China and other parts of Asia, Pitru Paksha (a Hindu celebration when ancestors are said to visit earth) and the Japanese Obon festival.

There are instructions for making a pumpkin pinata, frozen banana “ghost pops” and a couple of ways to make spider webs. There’s also a little quiz at the back.

This is a great book for an overview of what people do on and around Halloween for students who might not have that tradition, or as a way to talk about what their families do in the fall, regardless of whether they celebrate Halloween. You can also use it to get into a “best candy” debate.

About the book: 48 pages, hardcover. Published 2025 by words & pictures. Suggested retail price $14.99.

I did a post earlier this year with activities and ideas for teaching the alphabet, but a lot or learning letters and recognizing them just has to do with seeing them and working with them a lot.

That means coloring, tracing, identifying things that start with different letters and more.

One way to reinforce the letters is through little activity books like these cute printable alphabet books from Life Over Cs.

These are available for free when you subscribe to her newsletter, and I’d say that’s well worth it if you have a little one (or a group of little ones!) working on the alphabet and letter recognition.

Each mini book includes a collection of things that start with that letter to color, color and read with words that start with the letter, tracing the letter, finding the letter in a grid and other coloring pages with objects that start with that letter.

These little books are super useful reinforcing the different letters and giving kids different activities related to the letters.

If you do a letter of the day or letter of the week you can use a new book for each one, and then keep the copies in your reading center or in a basket where kids can look at them again.

And of course you can add in all the other letter activities you like, go on a scavenger hunt for items that start with that letter, read alphabet books, practice writing letters in rice or with pompoms or playdough or whatever sensory activities you like.

You can grab the free printables when you enter you email address at Life Over Cs, and check out her other great alphabet resources and activities while you are over there.

Do you have favorite activities for teaching letters to kids? I’d love to hear about them!

[Photo: Life Over Cs]

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