That kindly Yorkshire witch Heggerty Haggerty returns in this picture-book, along with her companions Blackcat and Broomstick. Annoyed that Heggerty Haggerty won't read a ghost story to him in the middle of the day, because she has work to do, Broomstick sets up a series of pranks, in order to convince his witch and cat companion that their house is haunted. Little does he expect that the tables will be turned, as Heggerty Haggerty takes advantage of the fact that it is Hallowe'en to return the favor...

Heggerty Haggerty and the Hallowe'en Ghosts is the third picture-book I have read devoted to these characters, following upon Heggerty Haggerty and the Flying Saucer and Heggerty Haggerty and the Great Running Race. Each of the books in this series appears to correspond to an episode from the television show Heggerty Haggerty, which aired on Yorkshire Television, beginning in 1983. In any case, I found the story here engaging, and appreciated the way in which our eponymous witchy heroine managed to turn the tables on the mischievous Broomstick. There were a number of details I found interesting, from Heggerty Haggerty's work to restock her spell ingredients - she must pound moon rocks in her mortar, in order to make moondust - to the fact that she uses carved turnips for jack-o-lanterns, rather than pumpkins. Carved turnips are in fact the origin of the jack-o-lantern, even if pumpkins have become more ubiquitous, so I found their inclusion in the story quite appealing. All in all, this was a fun little Hallowe'en romp, one I would recommend to readers who enjoy witchy picture-books, as well as to fans of Heggerty Haggerty. ( )