A good Halloween book for students to enjoy

This book gives a fun way of explaining what may happen on Halloween night. Mama's child, who she calls Stinky face, is very curious as to what would happen to his friends if they turned into their costumes or came into a difficult situation with their costumes. For example, Stinky face asks what would happen if Reese's butterfly costume turned into real butterfly wings and his mother responded by saying she could fly and watch all her friends in the costume parade and could fly down to trick or treat with her friends. Mama gives exciting responses to her son's many questions. The main theme to this book I would say would be that sometimes giving children creative answers makes them wonder about more things in life and how to use their imagination.
I would not recommend this book because it has the mother calling her child Stinky face and children may think it is okay to call others that. This name could possibly be changed for a lesson or have students learn that this isn't a nice name.

Happy Halloween, Stinky Face tells the story of a young boy (nicknamed Stinky Face), anxious about trick-or-treating with his friends. The entire book is a conversation between the boy and his mother. Stinky Face inquires about exaggerated hypothetical situations, to his mother. His mother in return answers his questions, with hilarious equally matched responses.

I borrowed Happy Halloween, Stinky Face from the library in the board book format. While it's a cute story, it is not suitable for (most) children under 4. The function of a board book is to introduce babies and toddlers to the idea of reading. Large, simplistic pictures with contrasting colors and minimal text are the most suitable features for a board book. I read this book to my two year old, and he had a hard time sitting still through the whole story. He didn't understand the story line.

A picture book format is best for Happy Halloween, Stinky Face. The pictures are fantastic, and emphasize the text quite well. While it is possible to convey the story without the text, it would be quite boring. There are so many little picture asides that the text doesn't refer to, at all, and it's really enjoyable to try to pick them out from page to page.

The mood that the pictures create is a warm, magical mood. The Halloween that is being portrayed in this book is very safe and innocent. There are no harsh or jagged lines, each detail blends in with the next. There is a soft yellow glow on each page that makes the entire book seem surreal. It also gave me a huge blast of nostalgia, as I remembered how exciting Halloween is for a child.

Happy Halloween, Stinky Face, is very well written and imaginative. The use of repetition when Stinky Face begins every other question with, “But Mama, but Mama”, gives the book a sense of rhythm, and pacing. The text is fun and esthetically appealing. When Stinky Face is speaking, the words are in a fun, wiggly font that dances around the page. When his mother is speaking, the text is plain.

I would highly recommend this book for any Halloween themed story time. It is fun and creative and will bring the adults reading it, and the children listening to it closer together while it engages everyone's imagination. ( )