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Spooky #1
Spooky Night
A witch's black cat who wishes to become a family pet must perform one last bit of magic before he can be free.
36 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1982
2 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Natalie Savage Carlson
56 books56 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 15, 2019
Great story for Halloween.
October 15, 2019
Prolific children's author Natalie Savage Carlson is probably best known for her Newbery Honor Book,
The Family Under the Bridge
, although her series of novels about a group of French orphans (
The Happy Orpheline
,
A Brother for the Orphelines
, etc.) is also quite beloved. Her five picture-books about Spooky the cat - which follow the story of a black feline who abandons life as a witch's familiar, in order to be a family pet - seem to be less well-known, if the paucity of reviews and ratings online is any indication.
Spooky Night is the first of these five books, and opens as the eponymous Spooky, a black cat with VERY green eyes, shows up on the Bascomb family's doorstep one day, promptly moving in and making himself at home. But when Halloween arrives, Spooky begins to display some very... well, spooky behavior, yowling and hiding under the furniture. Sneaking out later that night, he meets up with his old witch mistress in the woods, discovering that, in order to be truly free of her, he will need to catch the moon...
I was reminded, when reading this, of Ursula Moray Williams' classic children's novel, Gobbolino The Witch's Cat , which also features the tale of a witch's cat who longs for a more peaceful and homey life. I can't say that Carlson's story really wowed me, or that I found Andrew Glass' illustrations particularly outstanding, but the overall experience was engaging enough that I will probably try another book in the series, and I suspect that young readers who enjoy tales of witches and cats will appreciate it.
Spooky Night is the first of these five books, and opens as the eponymous Spooky, a black cat with VERY green eyes, shows up on the Bascomb family's doorstep one day, promptly moving in and making himself at home. But when Halloween arrives, Spooky begins to display some very... well, spooky behavior, yowling and hiding under the furniture. Sneaking out later that night, he meets up with his old witch mistress in the woods, discovering that, in order to be truly free of her, he will need to catch the moon...
I was reminded, when reading this, of Ursula Moray Williams' classic children's novel, Gobbolino The Witch's Cat , which also features the tale of a witch's cat who longs for a more peaceful and homey life. I can't say that Carlson's story really wowed me, or that I found Andrew Glass' illustrations particularly outstanding, but the overall experience was engaging enough that I will probably try another book in the series, and I suspect that young readers who enjoy tales of witches and cats will appreciate it.
November 15, 2012
Cross-hatch, textured illustrations are the highlight of this story of a black cat. We recently read Spooky and the Wizard's Bats and it wasn't until I posted my review here on Goodreads that I realized that the book was one of a series of five books featuring Spooky. So we decided to put this first book on hold at our local library, too.
This is a strange, but entertaining book about a cat who has escaped from a witch and comes to live with a family right at Halloween. The illustrations are colorful, with a mottled, almost pointilistic style. The story is fun to read aloud and we enjoyed reading this book together.
This is a strange, but entertaining book about a cat who has escaped from a witch and comes to live with a family right at Halloween. The illustrations are colorful, with a mottled, almost pointilistic style. The story is fun to read aloud and we enjoyed reading this book together.
October 16, 2025
Spooky is a black cat that shows up at the Bascomb's house ready to be their pet. However he begins to act strangely as Halloween gets closer. One of the Bascomb kids says that he is acting like something is after him. Then when all is quiet on Halloween night Spooky sneaks out to meet up with a witch. He is told that if he wants to stay with the Bascombs instead of her he must catch the moon.
June 13, 2021
Lovey pencil drawings.
November 10, 2014
Stunning color pencil illustrations -- some beautiful and some creepy -- with a weird, sort-of unnerving story about a found cat who has to fulfill an obligation to a witch. Minne nuzzled the book but didn't appear to care much for the story itself.
June 13, 2019
In order to become an ordinary house pet, Spooky must earn his freedom by performing one last task for a witch.
May 14, 2013
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11884595
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11884595
October 10, 2015
This super cute story is more about cats than Halloween, which is alright by me. The art style is unique, but not very eye-catching, which might bore younger listeners.
December 13, 2018
Enchanting picture book about a witch's cat who wants to just be a pet.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews