Nothing is better than having a book sent for review from a publicity department, opening the envelope and finding that it's written by a respected buddy. Trick or Treat, Old Armadillo is a new Halloween book written by the wonderful Larry Dane Brimmer, with luscious illustrations by Dominic Catalano.
Larry brings back Old Armadillo, who is all alone on Halloween night reading a book. Outside, the critters arrive dressed as a princess, a pirate and a vampire. Old Armadillo listens to the sounds and becomes more and more frightened.
Brimmer captures the feeling of anticipation that costumed children feel as they wait for Trick-or-Treating time, and Catalano's illustrations are soft and non threatening for a young reader. That's one of the things I like most about this story--it is so age appropriate for the little ones who are still frightened of all the scary costumes but want to play along. I also like the message of inclusion; an elderly neighbor who probably hasn't celebrated Halloween for a long time, but misses the fun just the same, is part of the mix.
This book is a much better gift for Halloween than a bag of candy! I highly recommend Trick or Treat, Old Armadillo.
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