The Bottom Line
Los Gatos on Halloween would make a wonderful read-aloud, as well as a read-alone, for 8-12 year olds who love scary stories and pictures. It is scarier than most Halloween picture books, which is why I don't recommend it for all ages or all 8-12 year olds.
Pros
- Wonderfully spooky Halloween illustrations
- Increasingly scary Halloween poem with a suprising, and funny, ending
Cons
- Not a good Halloween book for young children or kids who get scared easily
- Not for those who don't like books about ghouls, ghosts, and similar creatures
Description
- Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
- Copyright: 2006
- ISBN: 9780805074291
- Format: Picture Book
- Author: Marisa Montes, who also wrote Juan Bobo Goes to Work, A Pura Belpre Honor Book
- Ilustrator: Yuyi Morales, the author and illustrator of Just a Minute, which won the Pura Belpre Award
Guide Review - Los Gatos Black on Halloween
Los Gatos on Halloween will send shivers of delight down the spines of older children who thrive on creepy stories and illustrations. The influence of her childhood in Mexico is reflected in the paintings by illustrator Yuyi Morales. Elements of the Day of the Dead celebration can also be found in the text by author Martha Montes, who was born in Puerto Rico.
The Story
In addition to the black cats (los gatos), all of the creatures of the night come out on Halloween, including witches, skeletons, ghosts, phantoms, ghouls, and more. Tension mounts as midnight strikes, and werewolves and corpses appear. The creatures all go to a haunted hall for a monstrous ball, only to be frightened at the end by the children who come to the door yelling, "trick or treat! After all the scary images, this surprise ending is a laugh-out-loud mood brightener.Montes incorporates about two dozen Spanish words in the poem, being careful to make their meanings obvious through context clues or repeating the word in English in the next line. There is also a glossary at the end of the book. Los Gatos on Halloween is a scary, but fun, addition to the many children's picture books for Halloween.
