Little Jackie Lantern was published for Halloween 2011 by IDW Publishing ( @IDWPublishing ). The basic story is about Little Jackie and how he has been afraid of Halloween since he was two years old. I do not want to spoil the ending for anyone but Jackie does get over his fear. Little Jackie Lantern is about bravery and having fun... and about candy!
While this book was originally brought to my attention last year, my daughter would have been 3 months old and did not know what trick-or-treating was. Admittedly, this book is targeted more towards children older than my daughter; a year later I find it is still not really targeted to 15 month olds. She does not go to school (or daycare) yet and does not really have a good grasp on what trick-or-treating is. One of the good things about this type of book is that it can be reread every Halloween. It’s great because if my daughter remembers the book, she can look forward to it next year, but if she forgets about it, it will seem like a new book every year.
“Don't forget! HALLOWEEN is coming! Give the lil' ones a fun fright! … because that cool kid in your life needs a cool Halloween book! For the kid afraid of Halloween (like I was when I was little).” - Tom Waltz
What I liked about Tom Waltz’s ( @TomWaltz ) story was lesson that kids should not be scared at Halloween. What I was a little iffy about was that Halloween is about candy. While this might be true, I am not sure if I want to push that message onto my children. Otherwise, the main message about Halloween is great. I like that Tom has taken the time to make every second and fourth lines rhyme throughout the story; this is something that really makes a children’s book for me and helps to keep the child’s attention as well as mine.
My daughter enjoyed Jessica Hickman’s ( @JessicaAHickman ) art but loved it when we turned to the last page to see a pumpkin. She also loved the Jack-O-Lanterns on the back cover too. We have not really looked for the 20 glow-in-the-dark ghosts hidden throughout the book but I appreciate the fact that they are there and it adds an extra dimension to this book.
In short, this book is great for kids who enjoy trick-or-treating, who might be a little scared of Halloween, and for parents who love this frightful season. It might be too close to Halloween this year to find a copy of the book, but it is a good book to have and be able to pull out every October.