A Creepy Countdown [Library Binding]

Charlotte Huck (Author), Jos. A. Smith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

What do lumpy toads, hooting owls, furry bats, skinny witches, ghastly ghosts, yowling cats, and brave mice have in common? They all parade through the spine-tingling pages of Charlotte Huck's imaginative countdown and revel in an especially eerie night! But the mice get the last Boo (or maybe young readers do) in this enchanting book that goes from one to ten and back again, and dazzles with its ticklish scratchboard pictures. A positively creepy-crawly read-aloud for Halloween, storytime, and anytime!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-Huck's spirited counting rhyme from 1 to 10 and back again trips easily off the tongue, and Smith's black ink on scratchboard with watercolor overlays provide appropriate ghoulish harmony. Beginning with "one tall scarecrow standing on a hill" and "two lumpy toads sitting very still," the verses proceed to "ten tiny mice, feeling very brave." They shriek, "BOO TO YOU," which is set in large yellow letters, and get a horrified reaction from the collected bats, witches, skeletons, ghosts, and wraiths. Then, in reverse order, the creatures disappear-"nine eerie skeletons laid their bones to rest," "eight yowling cats arched their backs and fled" until "one tall scarecrow stood all alone." The mostly black-and-white scenes (ghost eyes are red) are set in large frames, bordered by thin strips of color, focusing the drama. Smith's fluid drawings contain a balance of scariness and humor sure to delight young listeners and with enough detail to invite investigation. Suspended from branches that twine behind the frames are somewhat grotesque, somewhat funny faces that are bound to catch attention. A surefire Halloween treat.
Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-7. This bit of fun keyed to Halloween gives children the opportunity to hone basic counting skills. Huck uses a simple rhyme to lead little ones through their numbers--1 to 10, then backward to 1 again. The rhyming text isn't particularly fresh, but it has solid child appeal: "One tall scarecrow / standing on a hill. / Two lumpy toads / sitting very still." And Smith's stark scratchboard illustrations are very appealing. Although their frame-within-a-frame design detracts a bit from the main picture, the beautifully detailed scratchboards, overlaid with judiciously placed watercolor, give kids a clear shot at doing their counting. At the same time, they capture the eerie holiday mood without being overly frightening. Stephanie Zvirin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Library Binding: 24 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow (September 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688154611
• ISBN-13: 978-0688154615
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 10 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,079,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars three and a half, November 7, 2003

By 

christopher wren "christopher_wren" (Denver, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Creepy Countdown (Paperback)

My daughter, 3 and a half, really enjoys this book. The narrative counts up to ten and then back down, with each page corresponding to a certain nuber of Halloween images-- scarecrows, jack-o-lanters, bats, witches, etc. The artwork, woodcut-looking vignettes that seem to have been scratched out of blackened paper, is crisp and very expressive, eerie without extravagance and yet truly edgy here and there--that vacant but sentient scarecrow, for example, or the chicken legs on the witches' house, or the startled faces on the book's center page. But really, the book is just a fun, aesthetic exploration of one holiday, without anything lasting or engaging about it except for that visual experience. It's excellent among Halloween books, more so for not actually forcing some dopey plot on us, but that's the end. I know I'll look forward to circulating the book into our reading cycle each October, but aside from then.... So it's just shy of 4 stars for me. 3 stars is too low, so we'll say 3 and a half, like my daughter.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Creepy Countdown, June 18, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Creepy Countdown (Library Binding)

A Creepy Countdown involves a scarecrow, two toads, three jack-o-lanterns, four owls, five bats, six witches, seven ghosts, eight cats, nine skeletons and ten mice. I assure you that you're little children will be amazed by the little details of the pencil drawings. What I liked was all of the little grave stones. I was amazed by the excellent rhyming. And if you look very closely at the sides of each page, you can see masks dangling over the trees. Be on the 'look-out' for Jos. A. Smith's drawing book named The Pen and Ink Book. I hope that you have a extraordinary Halloweenific time this Halloween. Boo!

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Games, November 7, 2011

By 

Paul D. Harvey - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Creepy Countdown (Library Binding)

Christmas is on the list and getting special items are the fun of the seasons of the year. Thankyou much.