Druscilla's Halloween, by Sally M. Walker, as reviewed by Freaky

Getting old stinks - or so I've heard:) According to this adorable picture book, before flying broomsticks came along, witches used to sneak up on people by tiptoeing. Unfortunately, Druscilla's creaky old knees make her tiptoeing anything but sneaky. With Halloween coming, what is a witch to do?



If it's a witch as determined and clever as Druscilla, there are a number of things to try - most of which don't work. Fortunately, while sweeping up one failure, Druscilla gets another inspiration, and the rest is history! You can tell kids there are several morals to this story: Never give up. Clean up after yourself. Don't count the old lady out! A fun lesson extension might be to have the kids think up and illustrate other solutions she could have tried.

We may just have to use this for story time next week - in addition to the easy craft project to follow up with, the pictures are engaging, and the text is Halloweeny without being "too scary" (I love one of the last sentences: "Druscilla successfully scared each child - only as much as he or she wanted to be scared - just as she had planned.")

A great addition to your library this season!