Children's Corner: Clifford's Halloween Howl

Review: To keep in the spirit of the season, I thought I'd do a very quick review of a staple in our house at Halloween; Halloween Howl. My daughter received this from one of her classmates at pre-school a few years ago instead of candy (clever thinking) and she's been hooked ever since. She's 6 and you think she'd out grown him right? Not yet. Now my almost 4 year old son is on the bandwagon, so I get mileage out of this one at night.

This book isn't the Clifford books I grew up with but they take place when he was a puppy and they lived in the city. As with most books the plot for these is quite simple but it does pack a good lesson into it. You see Clifford and his friends are all playing when a spooky sound starts to come from the apartment building nearby and one of his friends quickly shreaks "Monster!". This sends all the other animals into a tizy and running for safety but not before coming across a mysterious item in the hallway. They all then seek shelter in Clifford's apartment. Clifford decides that he must protect Emily Elizabeth from whatever is out there and he gets in her bag.

Clifford doesn't quite see what he and his friends have imagined. So the lesson that is taught to kids is not worry about something until you know what it is and if it is really scary. In more adult terms "don't judge a book by it's cover".

I love the bright colors and the illustrations in this series of books. I've always loved Clifford, so I'm happy to introduce my kids to him as well. I'm thrilled that Emily Elizabeth has gotten a fresh look as well; she doesn't seem so creepy to me now.

This is a perfect book for those that are still a bit frightened on Halloween (like my daughter) and teaches them that perhaps things aren't always what they seem.

Side Note: On Wednesday I was "Mystery Reader" at my daughter's class and they all seemed to really enjoy it and well doesn't every kid love Clifford? :)