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Haunted Party
Count up and down for Halloween fun!
This humorous, rhyming book invites readers to count eerie party guests one through ten as they arrive at the haunted house of their ghostly host. Mummies and monsters, werewolves and witches, vampires and ghouls show up group by group to round out the festivities. These classic creatures party the night away, but when the guests are frightened by a group of young trick-or-treaters, readers count backwards as they depart. A surprise ending offers a delightfully spooky twist.
Filled with Halloween party traditions, Iza Trapani's playful art is a treat for all.
This humorous, rhyming book invites readers to count eerie party guests one through ten as they arrive at the haunted house of their ghostly host. Mummies and monsters, werewolves and witches, vampires and ghouls show up group by group to round out the festivities. These classic creatures party the night away, but when the guests are frightened by a group of young trick-or-treaters, readers count backwards as they depart. A surprise ending offers a delightfully spooky twist.
Filled with Halloween party traditions, Iza Trapani's playful art is a treat for all.
28 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 16, 2012
This is a wonderful counting book which is also a great Halloween read-aloud. Mr. Ghost is hosting a party, and in small groups the guests arrive: two spooky skeletons, three gruesome goblins...all the way up to nine morbid mummies. The are all eating, flying, and "kicking up their heels" at this very active party. That is, until someone very scary rings the doorbell: ten cute, smiley faced trick or treaters. The nine terrified mummies leave first...followed by the eight fleeing witches...until Mr Ghost is left alone sitting on his porch. The illustrations are soft and lovely, the kids help count and the text contains some pretty rich vocabulary with words like "morbid" and "cuisine" and "extraordinary." That it was "sweet and sunny" children that terrified the guests brought a laugh from all the parents/caregivers in my audience - which was a nice bonus.
October 11, 2011
3.5 STARS
This is a cute counting book about a ghost who has a party and invites over all sorts of Halloweeny creatures to celebrate; witches, vampires, mummies, etc. Some of the illustrations are really cute and clever (I loved how one of the ghouls looks like he's making the pose from "The Scream" painting, haha!) I'm not sure I especially liked the ending--it wasn't quite what I was expecting but it was kind of cute in its way, though very sensitive young trick-or-treaters might not like it.
This is a cute counting book about a ghost who has a party and invites over all sorts of Halloweeny creatures to celebrate; witches, vampires, mummies, etc. Some of the illustrations are really cute and clever (I loved how one of the ghouls looks like he's making the pose from "The Scream" painting, haha!) I'm not sure I especially liked the ending--it wasn't quite what I was expecting but it was kind of cute in its way, though very sensitive young trick-or-treaters might not like it.
August 29, 2019
This is a Halloween counting and rhyming book. They count up when they arrive at the party and then count down when they get scared with 10 trick-or-treater. It's a cute book to get you in the Halloween spirit.
May 19, 2024
Super cute book
August 17, 2012
The illustrations are a lot of fun, and what some of the guests get up to is really quite funny - but - the prose was often a bit stilted to read and sensitive littlies may find the ending a bit much. Ages 5+
March 9, 2010
I liked the illustrations a lot, but the meter was problematic in too many spots for me
October 23, 2020
It's always a delight to find a Halloween children's book that balances goofy caricatures with age-appropriate scares, and Trapani accomplishes that elusive feat remarkably well. The lively illustrations are packed with detail, and kids will enjoy counting the monsters on each page. While the surprise ending certainly isn't for all children, those who enjoy "scary stories" will get a kick out of it.
November 5, 2018
I'm pretty sure my overall bias against Halloween books played a part in my feelings toward this book, but, quite frankly, it was wordy and had really iffy meter in the stanzas. I did like the fact that the kids scared off the monsters, but, overall, I wasn't impressed with this one.
November 15, 2018
ghost was giving a Halloween party, and as the guest come in (they come in numerical order to help teach children to count) they are all enjoying themselves UNTIL children com to the door...then who scares whom? very cute book
August 12, 2017
I liked this book and it helps children learn they're numbers from 1 to 10; while seeing creepy, scary things like a ghost, vampires, skeletons and such.
September 15, 2018
Ghost's party guests arrive, then they all run away after seeing 10 scary children! I'm not a huge fan of halloween counting books, but this one was well done! The illustration style was very cool
August 9, 2019
Fun little halloween story that includes counting, alliteration, rhyming, and repetition. This could be an interactive audience book for storytime.
December 31, 2019
This is a fun counting book. See which monsters come to Ghost's party and how many.
August 13, 2020
This is a fun counting book. See which monsters come to Ghost's party and how many.
May 12, 2021
Counting story that counts from one to ten and back again. Complex illustrations make for a fun activity as you encourage the reader to count the groups on each page. Highly suggest!
December 12, 2021
My kids loved this book. I'm not a fan of holiday themed pictures books, especially Halloween. But I didn't even mind reading this one!
November 9, 2023
Cute Halloween counting book with only mild spookiness. There's a big "Boo!" on one page that would make this one an ideal read-aloud for a group.
September 26, 2016
Title: Haunted Party
Author: Iza Trapani
Illustrator Iza Trapani
Genre: Concept Book, Counting Book
Theme(s): Halloween, Parties, Supernatural, Haunted houses, Stories in rhyme
Opening line/sentence:
It’s Halloween and what a night!
The full moon shines. The bats take flight.
Brief Book Summary
This book is full of rhyming and counting from 1 to 10 that invites readers to the ghost’s party at his haunted house. The spooky party guests are enjoying themselves until, all of a sudden, the doorbell rings and the guests scatter when they see a group of young trick-or-treaters. The readers count backwards as the guests scatter and leave ghost’s haunted house, but there is one guest who is not afraid of the trick-or-treaters! Ghost the host said, “boo!” and the trick-or-treaters ran away from the haunted house.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Joan Elste (Children's Literature)
This clever counting book in rhyme coaxes the reader to be perceptive by adding and subtracting the party guests coming and going from the ghost’s house. More and more guests arrive for the party until the pages are filled with their antics, including carving pumpkins, dancing, and generally making a mess of things. The reader is easily caught up in the illustrations to find and count the many different characters portrayed--from skeletons to werewolves to witches and mummies--all of which are wonderfully drawn by the author. The poetry works well, especially when read aloud, and is delightful. The double page spread with all the children trick or treating is a good visual break in the illustrations and pulls the reader more into the story. As the party guests rush to leave in fear of the children partygoers, the reader counts backwards until there is only the ghost left. But is he frightened? Unusual counting concepts, humorous illustrations, all nicely put together with a surprise twist to the ending.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
From Hornbook Guide Online
(3) K-3 This rollicking Halloween tale counts from one to ten and back as a ghost's ghoulish guests first come together, then flee from a herd of trick-or-treaters. Rhyming stanzas build steadily then shrink to single lines, adding to the guests' speedy departure. Humor abounds (vampires bobbing--quite successfully--for apples) in the watercolor, colored-pencil, and ink illustrations, which play with dark and light.
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Both reviews are positive and highlight the creative rhyming patterns within the text and also the elaborate and engaging illustrations. The first review hints at a possible surprise ending, but the second review does not mention the ending. The ending of the book generates a tremble of emotion upon the reader, which is worth mentioning, because it is what the readers will remember most about the book.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
The characters play a large role in this book’s theme of counting because without the characters, there wouldn’t be a way for children to follow along with the progression of numbers. The story is easy to follow for readers because it is organized in a normal time-patterned way: as the guests arrive at the party, they count from one to ten, and then when the guests scatter, they count down from ten to one. When the trick-or-treaters arrive and all of the guests scatter except the ghost, there is a sense of suspense created for the reader to see what the ghost is going to do with the trick-or-treaters. The structure of the book is easy to follow as well because each line begins with a number and ends with a rhyming word with the previous line.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
This book is ideal for students in kindergarten through third grade, especially around the Halloween season. With the aid of interactive props, such as a felt board with the ghost and all of his party guests, this book can be used to count both up to and back down to ten. To incorporate music into the read aloud, the teacher could play spooky music quietly in the background while reading, and then pause the music before the surprise ending to create suspense and emotion within the students.
Author: Iza Trapani
Illustrator Iza Trapani
Genre: Concept Book, Counting Book
Theme(s): Halloween, Parties, Supernatural, Haunted houses, Stories in rhyme
Opening line/sentence:
It’s Halloween and what a night!
The full moon shines. The bats take flight.
Brief Book Summary
This book is full of rhyming and counting from 1 to 10 that invites readers to the ghost’s party at his haunted house. The spooky party guests are enjoying themselves until, all of a sudden, the doorbell rings and the guests scatter when they see a group of young trick-or-treaters. The readers count backwards as the guests scatter and leave ghost’s haunted house, but there is one guest who is not afraid of the trick-or-treaters! Ghost the host said, “boo!” and the trick-or-treaters ran away from the haunted house.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Joan Elste (Children's Literature)
This clever counting book in rhyme coaxes the reader to be perceptive by adding and subtracting the party guests coming and going from the ghost’s house. More and more guests arrive for the party until the pages are filled with their antics, including carving pumpkins, dancing, and generally making a mess of things. The reader is easily caught up in the illustrations to find and count the many different characters portrayed--from skeletons to werewolves to witches and mummies--all of which are wonderfully drawn by the author. The poetry works well, especially when read aloud, and is delightful. The double page spread with all the children trick or treating is a good visual break in the illustrations and pulls the reader more into the story. As the party guests rush to leave in fear of the children partygoers, the reader counts backwards until there is only the ghost left. But is he frightened? Unusual counting concepts, humorous illustrations, all nicely put together with a surprise twist to the ending.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
From Hornbook Guide Online
(3) K-3 This rollicking Halloween tale counts from one to ten and back as a ghost's ghoulish guests first come together, then flee from a herd of trick-or-treaters. Rhyming stanzas build steadily then shrink to single lines, adding to the guests' speedy departure. Humor abounds (vampires bobbing--quite successfully--for apples) in the watercolor, colored-pencil, and ink illustrations, which play with dark and light.
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Both reviews are positive and highlight the creative rhyming patterns within the text and also the elaborate and engaging illustrations. The first review hints at a possible surprise ending, but the second review does not mention the ending. The ending of the book generates a tremble of emotion upon the reader, which is worth mentioning, because it is what the readers will remember most about the book.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
The characters play a large role in this book’s theme of counting because without the characters, there wouldn’t be a way for children to follow along with the progression of numbers. The story is easy to follow for readers because it is organized in a normal time-patterned way: as the guests arrive at the party, they count from one to ten, and then when the guests scatter, they count down from ten to one. When the trick-or-treaters arrive and all of the guests scatter except the ghost, there is a sense of suspense created for the reader to see what the ghost is going to do with the trick-or-treaters. The structure of the book is easy to follow as well because each line begins with a number and ends with a rhyming word with the previous line.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
This book is ideal for students in kindergarten through third grade, especially around the Halloween season. With the aid of interactive props, such as a felt board with the ghost and all of his party guests, this book can be used to count both up to and back down to ten. To incorporate music into the read aloud, the teacher could play spooky music quietly in the background while reading, and then pause the music before the surprise ending to create suspense and emotion within the students.
September 30, 2011
I just read this book to my son. It was a really cute book. I am unsure of many school districts policies on celebrating holidays, but if it was allowed, this book would be great to have on display. The book counts from 1 to 10 describing different Halloween creatures, then when the children knock to say trick or treat, the creatures all disperse from 10-1. Very cute pictures and rhymes on every page!
Copyright 2010
Copyright 2010
September 25, 2009
This is a normal counting book, but done with some good variations that stem from the Halloween theme. The youngest readers in particular will enjoy the way that the frightening creatures that attend the ghost's Halloween party are frightened away by the kid trick-or-treaters who appear at the door.
April 7, 2011
Kids will love this rhyming book because it is silly and they will get a good laugh out of the fact that the ghost's creepy guests get scared away by all of the trick-or-treaters. It is a good book for students learning how to count as well (up to 10). A great one to read around Halloween time and maybe do an activity in school to go along with the book.
October 23, 2013
what a GREAT halloween book! the rhyming text is rhythmic and easy to read, and kids will learn about sounds through the alliteration too. the illustrations are wonderful and full of humorous details. it makes me laugh out loud every time i see the recently-awakened mummies drinking coffee and eating breakfast!
November 17, 2014
A lovely story, primarily full of description regarding the ghost's party guests. This may be a good read-aloud to prepare children for Halloween parties, but I primarily appreciated the (slightly off) rhyming meter and that the characters were counted up from 1 and down from 10, just to encourage numerical thinking. I hope to read this repeatedly to my children.
January 19, 2010
"Haunted Party", a Halloween-themed story, is an adorable new picture book for young children (2009). It introduces numbers by counting up to ten and then back down again, while incorporating rhyme and rhythm in prose. The illustrations are colorful and action-packed.
wish-list
January 27, 2011Librarian and blogger Tasha Saecker talked about this counting book in a September 2009 review. We have similar thoughts about rhyming and counting books; since she loved this Haunted Party, I want to give it a try.
October 20, 2015
This was a cute book for my 4 year old. She did say that she didn't think it was nice of the Ghost to scare those kids. She did however like it and proceed to look at it on her own and say Boo! every time she made it to the end.
October 21, 2010
A fun new book for Halloween parties. Has some counting elements, but is a bit long for the younger listeners.
October 9, 2009
Cute counting book for Haloween but it was a bit long worded...
Read
September 27, 2010It's a funny book for Halloween and counting.
September 2, 2011
I read this book to my nephew Sawyer. This book had adorable pictures. It rhymes and uses fantastic Halloween wordage.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews