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Summary
Summary
"The last day of October had finally arrived. The empty house at the end of the street mysteriously came to life." Oliver, the ghost who lives in that empty house, lives for Halloween! He always has a big party. To get ready, he puts dust on the furniture, welcomes the spiders, wakes up the black cats, and delivers his invitations! This time, though, one envelope goes astray and two human trick-or-treaters show up. Are treats--or tricks--in order? Simple, cartoonish watercolor and pencil illustrations complement this sweet tale of the spirit of generosity and acceptance.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Oliver, a friendly ghost living in an empty house, has a lot of work ahead of him in preparation for his Halloween party. He glides in ghostlike fashion out the door to deliver invitations to the witches, to skeletons Skully and Jake, and to the bats in the cave. However, as he hurriedly heads home, he drops an invitation in front of two human children. Back inside, Oliver must perform the ghost version of preparing for guests: dusting the furniture (by applying dust on it), inviting spiders inside, waking black cats, and making sure that the jack-o'-lanterns are ready. Soon the partygoers arrive; the witches have brought their brooms to share rides, and Skelly and Jake are ready to perform as the "Spooky Bones Band." Then, the two little accidental guests arrive, dressed up as a cow and a jack-o'-lantern. After some quick conferring with the other guests, Oliver decides not to frighten the children, but to welcome them. The children believe that Oliver and the other guests have terrific costumes. They all have a great time, and the next day they invite Oliver to Jack-o'-Lantern's upcoming birthday party. The illustrations, done in watercolor and pencil, are simple, uncluttered, and cartoonlike. Each page has one to two sentences of text. A suitable addition to collections of non-scary Halloween tales.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
While trick-or-treaters visit houses, Oliver, a cheerful and smiley-faced ghost is having his own Halloween party in "the empty house at the end of the street." First appearing as gray silhouettes at the door, the party guests (skeletons, witches) all turn out to be friendly. But as the party gets underway, two unexpected guests arrive, and it's up to Oliver to decide whether to be scary or nice. There's nary a hint of frightfulness in Landry's watercolors, making this a good pick for readers who like their Halloween fare on the mild side. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Landrys cheery watercolor and pencil illustrations and calm palette signal that this Halloween story is more treat than trick; together, the straightforward text and simple compositions build suspense and inject humor into this not-scary ghost story. On the way home from delivering invitations to his Halloween party, ghost Oliver doesnt notice when "a lone envelope slipped from his bag and twirled to the ground." In the accompanying illustration, two boys stand on the ground directly in the envelopes flight path (and unaware of Oliver floating by overhead). Later that night, while "two trick-or-treaters make their way...from house...to house," Olivers party gets underway. Witches, skeletons, and bats join black cats, spiders, and ghosts for broom rides and jamming with the Spooky Bones Band. But when "a little cow and a little jack-o-lantern" unexpectedly arrive, all the partygoers stop in their eerie tracks. Its the moment of truth...is Oliver a friendly ghost or a scary spirit? The answer is never really in doubt -- not for the unintentionally invited guests nor for young readers. Carve a pumpkin, dim the lights, and read Trick or Treat for a spooktacular holiday storytime. kitty flynn (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Oliver the ghost is all prepared for his Halloween party after delivering invitations to his scariest friends--but what will he do when two young trick-or-treaters show up unexpectedly at his door? In the hustle and bustle of getting everything ready, Oliver mistakenly drops an invitation to his party, and it lands near two human boys who are happy to be so honored. When night falls, Oliver's guests start to arrive. The witches, the skeletons and the bats are greeted with a "BOO" from Oliver, but "a little cow and a little jack-o'-lantern" arrive and shout "Trick or treat!" Everyone, host and guests alike, is nonplussed. After some awkward moments full of plans to whisper hexes and cast spells, Oliver shouts, "TREAT!" Once welcomed, the two boys enjoy a night of dancing with skeletons, chasing ghosts and riding brooms with witches. With economical wording, flat illustrations executed in pencil and watercolor and clever foreshadowing, the story further impresses by delivering a most satisfactory ending. The morning after Halloween, Oliver discovers an invitation from young Jack inviting him to his birthday party. Landry has carefully crafted a seemingly simple tale about graciousness, generosity and openness to new friendships and packaged it into what is sure to be a perennial Halloween favorite. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Halloween night brings a certain house to life. Well, maybe not life. Oliver the ghost is delivering invites to the scaries in the neighborhood, but one falls out of his bag. Once back home, he gets the house ready for the best party ever. Witches and skeletons arrive, but so do two unexpected guests, invitation in hand. The young pumpkin and his smaller pal, dressed as a cow, bedevil the guests with their presence. But Oliver knows how to put things right. The line-and-watercolor drawings capture the fun of the mix-up, and pithy text with a neat twist will suit the young ones.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist