http://angelofmine1974.livejournal.com/10953.html ( )

The leaves are falling, the garden is brown except for the chrysanthemums, and the pumpkins are piled around the porch waiting for their faces. We're enjoying a hot bowl of Harvest Soup while the gingerbread bakes in the oven. It's time to get The Little Big Book of Chills and Thrills down from the shelf. Hallow E'en is coming and it's time to get in the spooky groove.

I collect Halloween books and this is one of my tip top favorites. This book is one of a series of books edited by Lena Tabori and Natasha Tabori Fried, called The Little Big Books. It is a chunky hard-cover book measuring 6 3/4" X 6 3/4" which accounts for the "little" and 350 pages which accounts for the "big". It contains over 200 line drawings and over 100 full color illustrations. It is an anthology that contains the following:
Stories - 15
Poems - 8
Spells - 8
Magic Tricks - 8
Curses - 7
Treats - 9
Superstitions - 9
Legends and Lore - 8

The Tabori talents have assembled a Halloween extravaganza of vintage illustrations from the early 20th century that are sure to delight. Witches, goblins, ghosts, bats and black cats populate the pages in nostalgic and atmospheric abundance. The best of classic scary stories are gathered here, a grab-bag of treats that anyone can appreciate, especially the 9-12 year old readership for whom the book is recommended. Since there is such variety and such a splendid number of choices this book can be shared and enjoyed nightly all during October for Halloween family fun.

Stories come from well-known writers like Mark Twain, H.G. Wells, Bram Stoker, Lloyd Alexander, Washington Irving and more. Even the famous...and very spooky...The Monkey's Paw is here. A brothers Grimm tale about a crystal ball is just one of many seasonal specialties.

Poems by Shakespeare, Yeats, Poe, Kipling are part of this treasure trove as well. You'll find a Counteracting Spell, a Moonlight Spell, a Love Spell and more.

There are fun and simple magic tricks that kids can do themselves to surprise and entertain friends and family. Great for parties! Read the curses from The Tower of London to King Tut's Tomb...if you dare...

Explanations and tales about superstitions are fun and informative and include mirrors, candles, salt, guests, ladders, brooms, Stonehenge, black cats and vampires.

An interesting collection of legends and lore covers the Banshee, Jack-o-lanterns, Apple Dunking, Merlin, and the Salem Witch Trials among other tasty tidbits.

Kids and parents can work together to whip up delicious treats. Eyeball Cookies and Spider Cake sound good? The yummy recipe for All Soul's Day Bread has become a part of my annual Halloween/Samhain celebration that includes a silent supper to honor the dead. Classic Halloween goodies like Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and Baked Apples are here along with Witches' Brew and Graveyard Brownies.

This is truly a BIG little book. It has a satin ribbon book mark attached and has a gold embossed dust jacket so it would make a lovely gift as it did for my little witchlet niece, born on October 31st, 13 years ago.

I would have to say, that as wonderful as I think the text of this book is, the illustrations are what makes this book special. The compilers chose them with such care and with a true love of the season. Never have I seen such a cornucopia of vintage Halloween images and my words here can hardly do them justice. They must be seen to be believed. Taken from old post cards and from the work of the likes of Jessie Willcox Smith, Arthur Rackham and Alphons Mucha they are colorful and celebratory, sweet, spooky and loaded with charm.

The sturdy hard cover enables this to stand the test of time and to become a family tradition. Don't miss it or the other titles in the series:
The Little Big Book of Christmas
The Little Big Book of Love
The Little Big Book for Moms
The Little Big Book for Dads
The Little Big Book of Life ( )