On Halloween Night

This is a counting book with text that rhymes. In that way it is like so many others before it. What I like about this book are the illustrations. The story begins with one witch stirring her big black cauldron as an owl looks on from a bare branch overhead and it progresses throughout Halloween Night all the way up to magical number 13 with wonderful evocative pictures that capture the essence of this mysterious autumn night. Meet nocturnal animals such as black cats, wolves and bats going about their secret business. The pictures are spooky but not too frightening. Most of the pictures have to do with real wild creatures like bears, snakes, toads and ravens and even bugs but there is also a ghostly counting experience within these pages. I just love the illustrations and I think this is an original idea that makes a nice variation from the often overly sweet counting books that are out there. I am giving it only four stars because the rhymes are sometimes forced, because it shows toads hopping into the water like frogs, and because it uses animals like goats, rabbits and bears that don't really have much to do with a Halloween theme. I don't think kids will mind that at all though and the pictures are fun.