The Costume Copycat

by Maryann Macdonald, Anne Wilsdorf (Illustrator)

Every year Angela's older sister Bernadette outshines her at Halloween, until one year Angela decides to use her own imagination and creates her own special costume.

Genres: Halloween, Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Holiday

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 17, 2006

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the illustration very cute and funny. The younger of two sisters always found her hand me down costumes didn't live up to the way people saw them, when her sister wore them. Finally one year she decided to make her own costume, which was a hit, and she out shined her sister.

[Kylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story for Halloween time. She always wants to be what her sister is for Halloween until she creates her own thing.

[Little Seesaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a little girl that is always wearing her sisters costume from the year before. It is pretty funny. I just love Halloween.

[Chuck Beilstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Background art fun

[Mum Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to my grandson during a recent visit.

[Alondra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Character dresses up as a "gypsy"; opt for a different book for your collection, just a bit outdated.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harriet picked out The Costume Copycat by Maryann MacDonald because she liked the picture of the younger sister in her fairy princess costume. It was also getting close to Halloween at the time so costumes were on her mind.

The story's about sibling rivalry and how children vie for attention from adults. In this case, the older sister is the one who usually has everyone's attention. Her younger sister tries to get the same praise her sister got the year before by wearing big sister's costumes. Eventually though things come to a head when the older sister gets sick on Halloween and the younger sister is left to make up her own costume.

I have mentioned before my children's fascination with Halloween books. This particular book, while cute for the initial read didn't make it into the "re-read" stack. Harriet, as the second child, didn't relate to the main character. She is far more out going than her older brother and so usually steals the spotlight from him!

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing especially memorable here, but it is an amusing little tale of the common sibling habit of the younger sibling copycatting the older sibling--not always with satisfactory results! The ultimate message here is a good one any time of year: be yourself. I enjoyed the assortment of costumes and festive trick-or-treating, though I did feel some of the adults could have been a bit more "aware" of the younger sibling's feelings (though maybe that was the point, poor misunderstood little thing!)

[Maryann Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, so this is my own book, but I have to give it five stars because I think Dial did a great job of marrying this story to Anne Wilsdorf's illustrations. And because it's a TRUE STORY! Well, not completely true, but based on true, which counts for something. My dear sister Joan, perfect in every way, always aced me in everything, but most especially Halloween costumes. I so wanted to be like her...beautiful, kind, creative. But I was plain, mean, and a copycat, sad to say. Still, I caught on eventually to the idea that, as Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken."

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a little early, but for some reason, we've been on a Halloween kick with our books. And this is a great book for getting children ready for Halloween. Every year, Angela is jealous of her older sister Bernadette's costume and wears it the next year, but not with the same results. Finally she comes up with her own costume and is happy with her choice. It's a good book about being yourself and has a nice ending, too.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

story of two sisters and their halloween costumes. the younger one always gets the short end of the stick until her sister falls ill one year--then she has all the fun. at least she brings her sick in bed sister a candy apple!

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed out loud at one part of this book. Maybe it just caught me at the right moment, but for the most part I thought the author did a nice job of representing sibling jealously without being heavy handed.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little sister is envious of all the attention her elder sister receives for her Halloween costumes, so she copies them every year. But in the end she learns the value of originality.

Really fun illustrations.

[Bcpl · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good halloween book about a big elementary school problem--copycatting!

[Terrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one of our favorite Halloween books.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of my life as a younger sister.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun story about a little sister who finally shines when she stops copying her sister's costume from the previous Halloween.

[Amy]

A good deal better than I was expecting. For my complete review: http://sunlitpages.blogspot.com/2013/...

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute sibling story.