Children's Halloween Roundup

by Adriana Domíguez -- Críticas, 9/15/2008 8:56:00 AM

It’s that spooky time of year again… When children dress up like monsters, witches, and goblins, and libraries and bookstores scramble to fill the little ones’ insatiable demands for fright!! Well…not quite. Halloween is still a month and a half away, and, as most of us know, the majority of titles related to that time of the year—especially those for little ones—are not all that scary. Most are just plain fun! Nonetheless, we thought we’d give you a preview of some of this year’s Spanish and bilingual children’s offerings now, to give you plenty of time to choose your favorites—and rehearse your scariest (or funniest) readings! We hope you find it helpful in making your selections. Enjoy!

La mansión misteriosa.  
(The Mysterious Mansion)
Gil, Carmen. 
illus. by Riki Blanco. Spain/Mexico: Combel, distr. by IPG. 2008. unpaged. ISBN 978-8-498-25261-3. $15.95.

Gr 1-3–The “mysterious mansion” of the title—a tall, purple house that certainly looks spooky—is home to an impressive number of monsters. Aurelio II is a headless ghost. Then there’s Anton the vampire; his lovely consort Frida; Vera, the witch (who cooks madly, and not just the usual eye-of-newt-and-toe-of-frog sort of potion, but pizza, as well); and Anacleto, the dragon. Akenenda is a mummy who hates the desert and loves rain, and Marcelo is a werewolf. As it turns out, all of these terrifying creatures live in a dollhouse that belongs to a little girl named Clarisa, a revelation that effectively neutralizes any potentially frightening aspects of this tale, and provides it with a wonderful twist at the end. Although a bit clunky at times, the rhyming text adequately develops the story’s narrative and helps with characterization. Photographed mixed media illustrations use sponges, bread, fabric, paperclips, and cut paper to add visual interest. The lighting of the photographs makes effective use of shadows and a soft focus to provide a sense of depth and mystery. The palette varies from monster to monster, but even in the sunnier compositions, such as the mummy’s desert scenes, the overall values remain dark, helping to maintain a spooky mood throughout. A sound additional title for library collections in need of scary Spanish-language materials for the younger set.

Guarda el secreto.  
(Keep the Secret)
Zubizarreta, Patxi. 
tr. by Manu López Gaseni. illus. by Elena Odriozola. Spain: Anaya. 2008. 215p. ISBN 978-84-667-6274-8. $36.95.

Gr 3-5–Joana and her family live in a house with Graciana, their third floor neighbor, who is rather strange. Joana’s brother Miguel doesn’t believe in witches, but after an incident involving his neighbor, he’s not so sure anymore. Joana visits Graciana often, and the latter tells the former many extraordinary tales that she asks her not to share. Each one contains a lesson for Joana, and is perfectly complemented by the beautiful, full-color illustrations interspersed throughout the book. The tales also include strange rhymes that bear an uncanny similarity to spells. Even while sharing everything with her friend Joana, Graciana never openly admits to being a witch; instead she tells Joana that she must “keep the secret” for reasons to be revealed at the end of the book. Joana is a likeable character, which makes it easy to understand why Graciana would be drawn to her and be willing to reveal her secret, and the two would become friends. While not a necessary purchase, fantasy fans will enjoy the stories told by Graciana and the overall eerie feel of the book (the subtitle of which is “A Witch’s Manual”); recommended for libraries with larger Spanish-language collections..

It’s Bedtime, Cucuy!/¡A la cama, Cucuy!
Galindo, Claudia. 
trans. by John Pluecker. illus. by Jonathan Coombs. U.S.: Piñata Books/Arte Público Press. 2008. 978-1-55885-491-8. $15.95.

PreS-Gr 3–This follow up to the author’s Do You Know Cucuy?/¿Conoces al Cucuy?(Arte Público, 2008) utilizes the well-known character—a Latin American version of “the Boogeyman”—to tell a bedtime story that all children will relate to. Galindo’s main character is about the age of a preschooler, not the frightening classic figure, thereby making her character-driven stories fun and relatable to children, rather than scary. Readers will giggle at the countless tricks the little Cucuy pulls in order to avoid bedtime in this tale. He refuses to give in, but Mom also refuses to give up, and as expected, exhaustion finally takes its toll, and the little creature’s eyes close at the end of the story. Coombs’ simple rendition of the playful blue Cucuy do not provide a great amount detail, though the creature’s own monstrous stuffed animals add a touch of humor. Ultimately, the story serves as a good attempt to help children avoid being like the mischievous Cucuy! Highly recommended for public libraries.

¡Ves al revés! (Daft Bat)
Willis, Jeanne. tr. by Gabriel Martínez Jiménez. illus. by Tony Ross. Mexico/U.S.: Fondo de Cultura Económica, dist. by Lectorum. 2008. 32 p. ISBN 978-968-16-8534-8. pap. $7.50.

PreS-2–Translation is an art, and this nifty rendition of Jeanne Willis's quintessentially British-toned fable is as fine an example of depicting the language and tone of the original as one could wish. When Mrs. Bat moves into the neighborhood, the jungle’s little ones are convinced that she is seriously deranged. She wants an umbrella to keep her feet dry, and claims that too much rain will raise the level of the river and wet her ears. And it’s a good thing that she has that umbrella too, because “down there,” in the sky, she can see a huge cloud. Entirely certain that umbrellas keep your head—not your feet—dry, that the river's rising levels get your feet—not your ears—wet, and that the sky is up—not down—, the concerned baby giraffe, elephant, lion, and rhino report Mrs. Bat’s absurd claims to the wise old owl. After ascertaining the source of the senseless pronouncements, the owl prompts the youngsters to hang upside down and report on what they see. Sure enough, viewed from Mrs. Bat's standpoint, the sky is down, the river will wet the ears first, and umbrellas do keep your feet dry. Apologies tendered and accepted, a lesson about viewing the world from another’s perspective is thus gently provided. Ross’s humor infused ink-and-watercolor cartoon illustrations round off this subtly didactic title. Highly recommended for all collections, as well as for English Language Learners (ELL) programs.

Abuelos.
(Grandparents)
Mora, Pat. 
trans. by Elena Iribarren. illus. by Amelia Lau Carling. U.S.: Groundwood Books. 2008. unpaged. ISBN 978-0-88899-717-3. $18.95.

PreS-Gr 2–After her family moves to the mountains of New Mexico and Amelia learns about the local legend of “Los abuelos,” her brother succeeds in using it to frighten her. The legend—which bears some similarities to that of the well-known “Cucuy”—says that each year, soot-covered old men come down from the mountains to see if the village children have behaved. Following her brother’s taunting, Amelia hides under her covers and fears that los abuelos will come for her. Once the old men arrive however, a wonderful display of courage leads Amelia to discover the gentle truth behind the scary masks, and allows her to begin to enjoy what turns out to be a fun, traditional celebration, as much as everyone else. The end of the story displays Amelia’s entire village enjoying the yearly party following the descent of the masked men. Vibrant illustrations celebrate the traditional elements of the story and depict the abuelos’ ghostlike facemasks in a manner that should not frighten children. A perfect Halloween tale, despite the fact that it takes place in winter. Recommended for all Spanish-language collections.