Old Devil Wind, illustrated by Barry Root

One dark and stormy night Ghost begins to wail, setting off a chain reaction in the objects around him, as Stool begins to thump, Broom begins to swish, Candle begins to flicker, Fire begins to smoke, Window begins to rattle, Floor begins to creak, Door begins to slam, Owl begins to hoot, and Witch begins to circle the haunted house in which all of this activity is going on. This catches Wind's attention, and his reaction blows all away... until the next Halloween!

Originally published in 1971 by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, with artwork done by Robert J. Lee, Old Devil Wind was republished in this 1993 edition by Harcourt Brace & Company, with new illustrations done by Barry Root. I've seen selections of the artwork from that earlier edition, and it looks very striking—I'd like to track it down at some point. That said, this more recent edition is lovely as well, with a spooky repetition tale, in which each object asks the previous one what it is doing, and is regaled in return with a (growing) list of all the actions that came before. Root's artwork, done in watercolor and gouache, is suitably spooky, although my favorite part (probably not a surprise given my devotion to witchy tales) was the witch. Recommended to picture book readers and audiences in the mood for spooky Halloween tales that incorporate a repetitive structure and lots of great sound words. ( )

This book would be appropriate for preschool through second grade, as an interactive read-aloud. It is very simple, and introduces content such as personification, and repetition in a simple way. Second grade students could also read it independently and act out what is happening. For the interactive read alouds, manipulative and sounds could be used to emphasize the plot and figurative language used.

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As a young readers' Halloween-themed book, this is a good one! Good sequencing, repetitive words, and descriptions that ellicit sounds are nicely done. The illustrations are also spooky, enhancing the mood of the story.

Okay, it helps this book that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Still, I liked it! ( )

Read at the library while mommy was at work - reading Halloween books.