Yukio and his little sister Kashi, who first appeared in author/illustrator Rubin Pingk's Samurai Santa: A Very Ninja Christmas, return in this Halloween adventure. Reciting the Samurai Scarecrow lullaby to Kashi, Yukio insists that he, dressing up as a ninja, wouldn't be afraid of the fearsome creature. But when he is unkind to Kashi on Halloween night, after she dresses up in the same costume as he does, Yukio finds himself confronting the scarecrow in person. Is it a trick... or a treat?

Although I have not read the first book (something I intend to rectify this holiday season), I decided to read Samurai Scarecrow: A Very Ninja Halloween anyway, finding it an immensely engaging Halloween tale. There's just the right blend of spooky nighttime hi-jinks and heartwarming sibling relations in the text, with a fun scarecrow rhyme thrown in for good measure. The artwork, done digitally, is absolutely delightful, with a very appealing color palette - black, white, gray, lavender and red - and a wonderfully stylized sensibility. I loved the scenes in which Yukio and his friends trick-or-treat! Recommended to anyone looking for entertaining Halloween picture-books, or for children's stories featuring ninjas. ( )