Grades 2-5

In this collection of 29 poems, readers start with "The Ghoul at the Gate" that snatches unsuspecting children into the graveyard that is the home of Scarum Fair. Once inside, they are introduced to the various ghouls and monster who populate the fair. Not quite your typical fair, this one features coffin racing and a scary-go-round. The devil's food cake (eaten with a tiny red pitchfork) is famous for setting tongues on fire, but don't look for relief from the i-scream... made with chopped up polar bear and a pinch of penguin beak, it will freeze you from the inside out. Deliciously creepy words, along with illustrations reminiscent of The Nightmare before Christmas, will have Halloween afficianados clamoring for more spooky poetry.
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Scarum Fair is a poetry book for children that is full of short, fun poems that are perfect for Halloween. Maybe it's illustrator Carol Ashley but this book is very "Tim Burton"esque to me. The illustrations and rhyming poems are very cute and I think will entertain children in elementary school. A cute read... ( )

This is a good book for the holidays. It's a poetry book. I like the illistrations. Very Tim Burton. ( )