Halloween Is...

by Gail Gibbons

It is a celebration that provides all kinds of spooky fun.

Genres: Halloween, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Holiday, History

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

From gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at Halloween's origins and customs - including the reasons why people began wearing costumes, and how the Jack-o-lantern got its name. Featuring lovely watercolor illustrations by the author.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prolific picture-book author and artist Gail Gibbons turns to the subject of Halloween in this non-fiction title for younger children, explaining the historical origins of the holiday, and describing many of the customs that accompany it. From dressing up in costumes to carving jack-o-lanterns, trick-or-treating to holiday parties, there are many things that Halloween is...

Despite her astonishing output - the rear dust-jacket flap of my copy lists forty-two other titles she has created for Holiday House - Halloween Is... is only the second book from Gibbons that I have read, following upon her Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids . I found it to be a simple and engaging introduction to its eponymous subject, and I enjoyed the cute watercolor illustrations that accompanied the text. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for a non-fiction Halloween title that discusses the customs and origins of the holiday.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

More historical approach to looking at the holiday and its traditions. Appropriate for school-age children. Contains references to ancient fears and beliefs and the afterlife.

[Beatrice Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book. It goes through various bits about various elements of Halloween. from witches, to jack o lanterns to black cats to trick or treating and everything in between. It tells little origin stories of each thing but it doesn't get too wordy about it. It tries to illustrate each little factoid and story with some nice pictures telling a visual story as well. The drawings are what could have been make or break but they are really charming. some of them reminding me of the old disney halloween episodes and such...no it's not THAT good...but some kept nice and spooky yet appealing. When it was talking about spooky halloween it was more effective. Latter half of the book talks more of modern traditions like parties and candy and decorations and such which arenot as fun to look at. Still a nice little Halloween history book.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The middle-school life skills class liked this book a lot (they enjoy pre-school stories and crafts) and the group had fun trying to figure out what the kids in the illustrations were wearing (as costumes) and what sort of Halloween treats they had at their party. Lots of interaction with this one. I thought it glossed over a lot of details in the text, but the kids had fun discussing what was going on.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una manera muy interesante, amena y divertida para hablar a los más pequeños sobre Halloween y todo el misterio fantasmagórico que lo rodea.

Lo he leído mediante la aplicación de Storytel y me ha sido útil para mejorar mi listening, ya que el acento del narrador para mí era bastante fácil de entender.

Sin lugar a dudas es una lectura que recomiendo si lo que buscas es mejorar tu oído con el inglés, además de pasar un buen rato para aquellos fans de esta maravillosa celebración.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad. Gwen' comic is ending and, of course, she's aware of it. First she tries to do something big to justify her existence, like take out Doctor Doom (but he's Iron Man now) but eventually she comes to terms with it.

The art isn't my taste, but I appreciate the quality. The figures are drawn from all sorts of angles. There's backgrounds in almost every panel.

[Asho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love Gail Gibbons's nonfiction books for young children. This was a great little reference book for both my 5-year-old and my almost-3-year-old. Nice illustrations, good explanations of concepts.

[Zachary Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an alright book. I liked the idea of the book telling the story of Jack of the Lantern, because it's a good story not a lot of people know. I think it missed an opportunity to talk about more of the history of the holiday.

[Arin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute drawings, and a nice variety of Halloween history as well as modern interpretation.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great little book - to explain Halloween festivities.

[Ellie Dynek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, spooky Halloween read!

[Eadie Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting audiobook about the history of Halloween. Tells about why and how people celebrate Halloween.

[The Fantastic Fletchers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like how it gives you the history of Halloween

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

All about Halloween! Nice, simple text with adorable illustrations.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great nonfiction picture book introduction to Halloween, its traditions and the reasons behind them.

[Gaby SA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maravilloso para los niños pequeños que están descubriendo estas festividades.

[Gael Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closer to a 3.5 than a 5. They did very well with the religious androgyny. If that is what it means.

[curiouskat_books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite Gail gibbons read.

[Jen • The ABCs of Motherhood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Explains what Halloween means to people - both past and present. Explains the origin of Halloween customs/traditions.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical information on the holiday. I learned a lot! However... I agree w/ another book review that stated it is too wordy. It was tough towards the middle to get my daughter to pay attention.

[MKF · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beginners introduction to Halloween though not very in depth in descriptions. When I read that some schools put on Halloween plays I stopped and flipped quickly to the front to see when it was written. Halloween is slowly becoming obsolete in some schools so this is a bit outdated.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful book that describes the customs, history and costumes of the holiday. It's an informative book, but younger readers might lose interest. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Polly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gail Gibbons can be pretty boring from some kids unless they are really interested in the subject matter. This was one that my son was pretty into this year.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has great information in it, but so many words. Too many to hold the attention of little ones and a lot of the things it teaches about Halloween are also for an older audience.

[Horace Mann Family Reading Challenge · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tell about halloween things. M.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6, 7, and 9 year olds all enjoyed this book. It's a good one for kids wanting to read about the origins and history of Halloween in a storybook type of format.

[Miri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about the origin of Halloween and how it is celebrated today.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute and short book about Halloween. Great for kids.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice look at the history of Halloween for younger readers.