Halloween with Morris and Boris (1975)

While we're on the topic of Halloween-themed books, here's another one that predates me but which I only learned about through library books my wife checked out for our sons—Halloween with Morris and Boris, written and illustrated by Bernard Wiseman.

Like the Nate the Great books, this series features recurring characters. In this case, the two main characters are Morris the Moose and Boris the Bear, and the rapid-fire humor and running gags in these books are very much in the vein of old vaudeville and comic teams such as Abbott and Costello. In other words, you may find them occasionally tedious—as Morris constantly misunderstands Boris (the comedic foil of the duo) and Boris responds with mounting frustration.

Halloween with Morris and Boris is no different, though in my opinion, it's the most interesting book in the series. Here Boris must explain to his simple friend how trick-or-treating works, to convince Morris to participate. The characters literally stumble into their costumes, but have to swap when people are too scared of Boris to give him any candy. The pair end up being invited to a children's Halloween party, where they bob for apples, play Pin the Tail on the Donkey, and listen to ghost stories—before Morris gets frightened of his own reflection and runs away.

Wiseman's illustrations are great, and his limited color palette of orange, blue, and black works surprisingly well. It's fun to think of this odd couple of clowns roaming my neighborhood tonight, trying their best to fit in.

Happy Halloween to you and your loved ones!

Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt (1989)

I don't remember reading or even hearing of the Nate the Great books when I was a child, even though the first in the series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat was published in 1972, almost a decade before I entered kindergarten.

But I discovered and came to enjoy the character through my eldest son, who has enjoyed checking out these stories from the library and even adding some to his own book collection.

Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt is, naturally, one we enjoy reading together this time of year.

For those not familiar with the books, Nate is a nine-year-old detective whose friends enlist him to solve various problems—typically a lost item or pet. Nate interviews people and, with his dog Sludge, follows their leads from location to location, gathering clues along the way that eventually reveal where the missing object is.

In Halloween Hunt, a cat belonging to Nate's eccentric friend Rosamond goes missing, and instead of trick-or-treating, Nate spends his evening following the trail of clues—even sneaking into the neighborhood's "old haunted house," where the cat ventures every Halloween.

My favorite part of this short book is Marc Simont's artwork, which is wonderfully atmospheric.

The Day-After Halloween Pumpkin

Our jack-o-lantern enjoys a warm and dry November 1, after spending Halloween evening lit-up on our front stoop, watching over the bowls of candy (which we leave on the front steps while we're out trick-or-treating). 

For the past several years, my eldest son has requested that we model our jack-o-lantern's face on the title character in Nora S. Unwin's 1953 book Proud Pumpkin, which I highlight in this post. 

Here are some of that book's excellent illustrations, showing the "round and bold and glorious" jack-o-lantern as it appeared on Halloween, but also as it was subsequently abandoned and allowed to decay in the woodshed:

We brought our jack-o-lantern inside before we went to bed last night, sparing it a soaking from the forecasted rain shower. 

Still, it will inevitably suffer a fate similar to Proud Pumpkin's. Soon we'll take the pumpkin out to a mound of dirt and brush in our woods, and there it will sit until the shell gradually rots and composts itself, becoming part of the mound, as our other pumpkins have done since we moved here.

Thankful for the small measure of light this pumpkin provided, and overall for another joyous Halloween to share with loved ones. See you next year!

Disney Wonderful World of Reading: The Haunted House (1975)

Along with the Robert Bright book "Georgie," one of the first books I ever read about a haunted house was one I received around Christmas 1981. It was a Disney read-along book and cassette titled, simply enough, "The Haunted House." 

The story begins as many other haunted house stories do—with travelers driving along a dark country road. When their car runs out of gas, the travelers walk to an old, dilapidated house nearby, hoping someone lives there who can help. ("The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion" opens with another variation: two travelers are walking home from a dance, when a rain storm, not an empty fuel tank, prompts them to approach the house.)

In this case, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Pluto are the travelers. Through the house's windows, they see lights and shadows inside, and decide to ring the doorbell. 

That's when things get mysterious. The front door opens and immediately slams shut by itself. When the trio enters the house, a portrait hanging in the hall seems to be watching their every move, then whirls around, pulling the trio into a secret passage. Three ghosts appear there, and Mickey, Donald, and Pluto quickly escape through a laundry chute into the basement. Finding some steps that they hope will lead to an exit, they make their way back upstairs, only to encounter bats and a dancing skeleton. However, the bats prove to be fake, and Mickey begins to suspect that someone doesn't want them there and is playing tricks. 

The trio finally learns the truth when they stumble into a room and discover bags filled with money. All the ghostly happenings are the work of three bank robbers, who tie up Donald and Mickey, but aren't able to catch Pluto before he escapes with a bag of money and runs to alert the police.

One fun thing about this storybook: the Fisher Price tape that came with it was blank on side B, so that you could create your own recording.

Other stories where the hauntings are the work of individuals trying to scare away unwanted visitors include "The Haunted House," a 1963 episode of Andy Griffith; the 1966 Don Knotts film The Ghost and Mr. Chicken; and "A Haunting We Will Go," a 1984 episode of Diff'rent Strokes.

The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion (1969)

In 1969, this Disneyland Records Storyteller album was released to commemorate the opening of Haunted Mansion. Intended as a simple promotional album, this recording has become a cherished childhood memory for many a Disneyland guest. "The Story and Song from The Haunted Mansion" includes original scenes and effects that never made it into the final attraction as it follows the story of two teenagers (voiced by Robie Lester and a young Ron Howard) who take refuge inside the eerie mansion during a rainstorm. (Synopsis from DisneyStore.com) The picture above shows Ron Howard in the Happy Days episode "Haunted", made about 5 years after the album.

Proud Pumpkin (1953), by Nora Spicer Unwin

One fall afternoon in the mid-1980s, I sat with my classmates on the floor in the school library and listened to our librarian read this book. She had a British accent, and though I don't recall her name I can vaguely remember her face. There were many books I heard her read during my years as an elementary student, but "Proud Pumpkin" is the only one that has stayed in my memory. It tells the story of a certain pumpkin in the patch that has a very high opinion of himself. While his brother pumpkins are content to be used for pies, Proud Pumpkin boasts in being selected for display as a jack-o-lantern. Reality sets in, however, when he is quickly discarded the day after Halloween. The effects of decay begin to set in, and the pumpkin is knocked over and nibbled by mice. He feels lonely and empty. Maybe he wasn't as needed or special as he thought. As the coldness of winter arrives and it seems like all hope of being useful is lost, a chipmunk discovers the pumpkin in a heap and makes it his home.

The Halloween Tree (1993)

Four children learn the origins of Halloween customs while trying to save the life of their friend. This Emmy-winning animated film is narrated by Ray Bradbury, who based the screenplay on his 1972 novel.

Georgie (1968), by Robert Bright

This recording is new to me, but I remember reading the book when I was little.

Monsters from the Movies (1972), by Thomas Aylesworth

If memory serves me, I first checked this book out in the fourth grade from the school library. Throughout grade school I probably read it several more times. Like Movie Monsters, by Ormsby, this book highlights many of the great movie monsters. However, Monsters from the Movies goes into much greater detail about those creatures and presents them in a more adult manner, separating them into chapters such as "Man-Made Monsters" (which would include the Frankenstein monster) and "Self-Made Monsters" (which would include Mr. Hyde). It also chronicles the many filmed versions of monster movies such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

This book is included in a discussion of horror film books at The Rocket Video Blog.

Movie Monsters (1975), by Alan Ormsby

I read this book a lot when I was younger. My older brother had probably bought it at a school book fair. Movie Monsters provided a lot of inspiration around Halloween time. It contained pages on some of the great movie monsters (Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, et al.) as well as "recipes" for creating your own monster makeup. I tried creating the "brown bag Frankenstein" but gave up before I finished. (I think my paper bag was not the right size for my head.) The book also contains a script for a play, called "The Monster of Frankenstein." Although I never actually performed it in front of an audience, I do remember recording a radio show version of the script, playing all of the roles myself.

Read some memories of this book by other bloggers, at Wonderful Wonderblog and John Rozum.com.