Spooky Hour

This rhythmic, storytime counting treat features a frightfully friendly cast of characters on their way to a monsters' bash. "Eleven witches," "Ten funny, floaty ghosts," "Nine skeletons," and so on make their way across a dark forest to a party in a castle, where they all slice into "One gigantic pumpkin pie." Mitton's catchy rhyming couplets correspond nicely with Parker-Rees's floodlit illustrations. Colorful two-page paintings show marching trolls and dancing wizards. On some spreads, two single-page illustrations are paired together, and details in the art cross the book's gutters–a sprig of grass here, the bristles of a broom there–and keep the action flowing smoothly. This book is good, nonthreatening Halloween fun for even the youngest of children.