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The Night The Scarecrow Walked
Two children who sympathize with a scarecrow that stands day after day in its field have an opportunity to regret their interest.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published October 1, 1979
103 people want to read
About the author
Natalie Savage Carlson
54 books60 followersNatalie Savage Carlson was born on October 3, 1906, in Kernstown, Virginia. After she married, she moved around a great deal as the wife of a Navy officer, living for many years in Paris, France.
Her first story was published in the Baltimore Sunday Sun when she was eight years old.
Her first book, The Talking Cat and Other Stories of French Canada (where her mother was born), was published in 1952. One of her best-loved books is The Family Under the Bridge (1958), which was a Newbery Honor book in 1959. Many readers will remember her series of Happy Orpheline books about a group of French orphans and their carefree lives.
In 1966, Ms. Carlson was the U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen International Children's Book Award.
Materials for fifteen of her novels are held at the Children's Literature Research Collection at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ms. Carlson lived in Rhode Island, Oklahoma, California, the Pacific Northwest, Florida, and abroad. She died September 23, 1997, in Rhode Island.
Her first story was published in the Baltimore Sunday Sun when she was eight years old.
Her first book, The Talking Cat and Other Stories of French Canada (where her mother was born), was published in 1952. One of her best-loved books is The Family Under the Bridge (1958), which was a Newbery Honor book in 1959. Many readers will remember her series of Happy Orpheline books about a group of French orphans and their carefree lives.
In 1966, Ms. Carlson was the U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen International Children's Book Award.
Materials for fifteen of her novels are held at the Children's Literature Research Collection at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ms. Carlson lived in Rhode Island, Oklahoma, California, the Pacific Northwest, Florida, and abroad. She died September 23, 1997, in Rhode Island.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 16, 2021
I made a mistake. I simultaneously came up with two book projects this year that contradict each other: a pre-pack purge project and a 1970s reading project.
Turns out, I'm not only ordering copious amounts of out-of-print 70s books that are new to me (and then impossible to get rid of); I'm discovering all of the 70s treasures in our house that I have loved so dearly and I know now I will never part with any of them.
For example, I found this little treasure from 1979, The Night the Scarecrow Walked, a Halloween story that represents the freedom that most of us young children experienced here in the states in the 1970s.
Back then, parents didn't accompany their kids while they headed out in the dark to go trick-or-treating. You went out with a sibling or friend or a group of neighbors and you were out for hours (no phones, either, y'all).
The parting advice from the mom in this book to her two kids, Jeff and Libby, is: “Keep to the road. You never know who might be up to mischief on Halloween night.”
That was more than my mother would have contributed, but we would have ignored any advice from her anyway, just like Jeff and Libby did. Keep to the road? Yeah, right.
Naturally, as soon as Jeff and Libby leave the road, they discover that creepy scarecrow. (And it is creepy. This book has never failed to scare every new young reader I've ever shared it with. It's “good creepy,” if you know what I mean).
Next thing you know:
I'm getting nowhere with this purge.
Turns out, I'm not only ordering copious amounts of out-of-print 70s books that are new to me (and then impossible to get rid of); I'm discovering all of the 70s treasures in our house that I have loved so dearly and I know now I will never part with any of them.
For example, I found this little treasure from 1979, The Night the Scarecrow Walked, a Halloween story that represents the freedom that most of us young children experienced here in the states in the 1970s.
Back then, parents didn't accompany their kids while they headed out in the dark to go trick-or-treating. You went out with a sibling or friend or a group of neighbors and you were out for hours (no phones, either, y'all).
The parting advice from the mom in this book to her two kids, Jeff and Libby, is: “Keep to the road. You never know who might be up to mischief on Halloween night.”
That was more than my mother would have contributed, but we would have ignored any advice from her anyway, just like Jeff and Libby did. Keep to the road? Yeah, right.
Naturally, as soon as Jeff and Libby leave the road, they discover that creepy scarecrow. (And it is creepy. This book has never failed to scare every new young reader I've ever shared it with. It's “good creepy,” if you know what I mean).
Next thing you know:
I'm getting nowhere with this purge.
January 11, 2023
2023 - 1970’s Immersion Reading Challenge
The Night the Scarecrow Walked by Natalie Savage Carlson (1979) 29 pages.
A short, spooky story for young kids, but, not too young. You may find them forever fearful of scarecrows, like some people are afraid of clowns. This story doesn’t really have a happy ending, or any ending for that matter. It leaves kids hanging and me confused. Was it a bum that stole the clothes and came hobbling to the kids home? Or did the scarecrow turn into a walking man and came hobbling to the kids home?
The Night the Scarecrow Walked by Natalie Savage Carlson (1979) 29 pages.
A short, spooky story for young kids, but, not too young. You may find them forever fearful of scarecrows, like some people are afraid of clowns. This story doesn’t really have a happy ending, or any ending for that matter. It leaves kids hanging and me confused. Was it a bum that stole the clothes and came hobbling to the kids home? Or did the scarecrow turn into a walking man and came hobbling to the kids home?
November 2, 2013
I love this old Halloween story! It was falling apart in my school library, but I kept it just for reading to second graders in October. It is a simple story about two kids who wish for a scarecrow to be able to leave its post on Halloween night. When it actually happens they are frightened and run home, sure that they just imagined it until they a man walking down their road dressed in the scarecrow's clothes, looking just like him, and making scare-away-the-crows sounds! The best part is that the story remains unanswered and children are left to debate whether it really was the scarecrow or if it was just some man....
November 2, 2025
Nostalgia and gorgeous illustrations
October 14, 2014
Very cute. Very nice illustrations. I bought this in the 80s during grade school from the Weekly Reader book club. I pulled it out to read again, this Fall. Such lovely illustrations and cozy, fun descriptions of Autumn traditions in a family's home. I enjoyed reading it, again, as an adult and placed it on my coffee table because the book is nice looking and in good shape and gave me such nice Fall feelings & nostalgia. I will enjoy passing it along to nieces & nephews to enjoy now.
June 24, 2017
I liked the line Carlson used to get the children to run after they froze in fear: "Their screams loosened their legs." I'm going to check if there's a listopia about children's books featuring scarecrows... this has got to be at least the fourth that I've read, and I don't even like horror or this kind of fantasy.
October 25, 2012
Fun, cute book for children for this time of the year. It has a nostalgic feel to it.
October 24, 2022
Can you imagine going out on Halloween Night with some sage advice from mom to keep to the road and just galavant on your own without adult supervision? I can imagine it no problem because pre-2000, that's how it seemed for almost everybody.
Written and illustrated in 1979, The Night The Scarecrow Walked is a delightful children's book with macabre imagery and a subtle yet prominent Halloween aesthetic. It follows two young siblings on Halloween Night who encounter a sentient scarecrow that's left its post. Or have they? Read to find out.
Perfect if you have small children and want something not too scary to read them!
Written and illustrated in 1979, The Night The Scarecrow Walked is a delightful children's book with macabre imagery and a subtle yet prominent Halloween aesthetic. It follows two young siblings on Halloween Night who encounter a sentient scarecrow that's left its post. Or have they? Read to find out.
Perfect if you have small children and want something not too scary to read them!
June 17, 2023
Step back into nostalgia. I remember being in school in the '80s and becoming giddy when my class received the books we ordered from the Weekly Reader Book Club. So you can imagine my excitement when I found this classic Halloween gem from my childhood online. I couldn’t be happier when it finally arrived at my doorstep. The story and illustrations are still as beautiful and enchanting as I remember them.
October 12, 2023
Another phenomenal Halloween book for children! The illustrations capture Halloween perfectly, and the story is a rare one in which the possibility of a scarecrow coming to life might just be true!!! Highly recommend this one!
October 11, 2018
This book used to scare me so bad as a kid!
March 16, 2019
Not a terribly good conclusion but I’m a sucker for anything Halloween especially vintage children’s stories.
October 11, 2020
A spooky old mystery about a brother & sister’s interactions with a scarecrow on Halloween night. Suspenseful & fun.
January 18, 2021
A funny tale about a mysterious scarecrow .
July 6, 2023
Ordered this little #weeklyreader from @pangobooks . Spooky season needs to hurry up.
March 27, 2024
This book was really really good i really love it it’s a great book for October!!!! Though
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews