Halloween ABC

Rating:
Summary: Sophisticated book for older children
Review: (...) There is just something of a mismatch between format and audience: The fact that this is in an ABC format makes it seem suited at first glance to ABC-age children.

The compact poetry of Eve Merriam and sophisticated illustrations of Lane Smith (done before he was famous) make this a great book for older children who enjoy a slightly gruesome edge to their humor --think the movie Beetlejuice, for example.

Lend a copy to the ten-year-old in your life.

Rating:
Summary: Halloween ABC
Review: I don't usually write reviews but after seeing the opinion of the reader from SC who negatively reviewed Eve Merriam's work, I felt a need to express my own opinion. Merriam is a thought provoking and controversial poet. Her work, although in picture book format is intended for older readers. The illustrations are incredible and enrich the text beautifully. Fans of Lane Smith will enjoy this earlier work. Again, 1 star is an unfair judgement. Amazon should not list this book for readers 4-8 but then again, caregivers should always make their own informed decisions. I don't know about "getting deep down in your spirit" but the subject matter is definitely for older readers and highly entertaining. I hope some of you will take the time out to get to know this amazing poet. Always controversial!

Rating:
Summary: Halloween ABC
Review: I don't usually write reviews but after seeing the opinion of the reader from SC who negatively reviewed Eve Merriam's work, I felt a need to express my own opinion. Merriam is a thought provoking and controversial poet. Her work, although in picture book format is intended for older readers. The illustrations are incredible and enrich the text beautifully. Fans of Lane Smith will enjoy this earlier work. Again, 1 star is an unfair judgement. Amazon should not list this book for readers 4-8 but then again, caregivers should always make their own informed decisions. I don't know about "getting deep down in your spirit" but the subject matter is definitely for older readers and highly entertaining. I hope some of you will take the time out to get to know this amazing poet. Always controversial!

Rating:
Summary: Oldsters Only?
Review: This book is a collection of positively gruesome rhymes about violence, ghouls, and monsters in the vein of Edward Gorey. Some young adult readers might find the rhymes amusing, but many other readers, especially young children, will find them quite disturbing. As one example, for the letter "I", we read that "I" is for icicle, the murder weapon that mysteriously vanished leaving the police puzzled. If your kids like grim reaper stories for Halloween, they may find a lot to amuse them in this book. However, the kids who are old enough to potentially appreciate the book's warped humor will probable overlook the book since they are way too old to be practicing their ABCs.

Rating:
Summary: PG-13 not Ages 4-8
Review: This book is a collection of positively gruesome rhymes about violence, ghouls, and monsters in the vein of Edward Gorey. Some young adult readers might find the rhymes amusing, but many other readers, especially young children, will find them quite disturbing. As one example, for the letter "I", we read that "I" is for icicle, the murder weapon that mysteriously vanished leaving the police puzzled. If your kids like grim reaper stories for Halloween, they may find a lot to amuse them in this book. However, the kids who are old enough to potentially appreciate the book's warped humor will probable overlook the book since they are way too old to be practicing their ABCs.