You Go, Ghost! Ready, Steady, Ghost by Elizabeth Baguley

MIDNIGHT! IT WAS TIME FOR GILBERT TO GO HAUNTING.

READY, STEADY, GHOST!

It is midnight on Halloween, and it's showtime for all ghosts!

With BOOOOs and WHOOOs, all the big ghosts wisp away, heading for caves and castles, and tall haunted houses. But it's Gilbert's first haunting, and he feels very small as he floats off into the darkness. He knows that he's not supposed to be afraid of the creatures of the night--howling wolves and slithery snakes, and roaring, red dragons, Gobble-Mes and Sizzle-Mes all--but  he feels like he's not up to the job of scaring them!

"SHIVER-ME, SHAKE-ME!

I NEED TO FIND A HOMEY HOUSE TO HAUNT, A COZY HOUSE, A LITTLE HOUSE!"

Lonelier than lonely, Gilbert slips through the darkness, growing even more intimidated by the deserted mansions and looming tombs where the big ghosts are busy haunting. He drifts on through the scary shadows, until he comes to a castle. It is big, but there is a dog there, one who looks like he might want to play. Gilbert wafts inside and up and up the grand staircase, with the dog following, until he comes to a door. It has a small keyhole, but not too small for Gilbert.

And inside the castle's attic there is... a small castle, a homey castle, with its teeny tiny king and queen, and parapets just the size for a very small ghost to haunt!

Elizabeth Baguley's Ready, Steady, Ghost! (Hyperion Books, 2014) is a good fit for those would-be little spooks and monsters who are still a little leery of venturing out into a darkling Halloween night themselves.

Baguley's text has just the right mix of enticing rhyme and alliterations with just the right teeny tiny touch of scariness. Artist Marion Lindsay's enticing illustrations in deep shades of blues and blacks are warmed by accents of orange and yellow, with well-placed page turns that build suspense, and Gilbert is a most non-threatening little spirit on his first venture outside. A few Britishisms dot the text, including in the title, which is the equivalent of American English for "ready, set, go," but all are understandable in context. This story has great eye appeal and empathy for preschoolers in the run up to the scary season, with plenty of charm and a cozy, homey conclusion that is a perfect fit for youngsters.

Boo! Little Goblins Ten by Pamela Jane

OVER IN THE FOREST
WHERE THE TREES HIDE THE SUN,
LIVED AN OLD MOTHER MONSTER
AND HER LITTLE MONSTER ONE.

"SCARE!" SAID THE MOMMY.
"I SCARE!" SAID THE ONE.
SO HE SCARED AND HE SCRAMBLED
WHERE THE TREES HID THE SUN.

What do mommy creepy creatures teach their little ones as Halloween approaches? Well, they teach them what they know best, how to be rightfully frightful.

In this new October classic, drawing on the well-known nursery song Over in the Meadow, made famous by Ezra Jack Keats, Pamela Jane creates a worthy successor for the fall season, Little Goblins Ten. (Harper, 2011). Worthily paired with illustrator Jane Manning, Jane provides catchy alliterated or rhymed verbs to the jolly versification of the original, and gives this old form new life:

"CACKLE!" SAID THE MOTHER WITCH.
"WE CACKLE," SAID THE SIX.
AND THEY CROWED AND THEY CACKLED
IN A HOVEL MADE OF STICKS.

Zombies stare, bats swoop, werewolves howl and growl, and ghosties haunt, and all polish up their acts, getting in the groove for their upcoming performances on that eerie eve:

"TRICK OR TREAT?" SAID THE MOMMY.
"TREAT!" SAID THE ONE.
SO THEY SKIPPED OFF TOGETHER
FOR SOME HALLOWEEN FUN.

Publishers Weekly gives this one ten cackles, too, adding "... Trust the team of Jane and Manning to conjure up an impressive new vision in time for Halloween."