Tucker's Spooky Halloween

Tucker’s Spooky Halloween: A Picture Book, Audiobook and Animated Story

Tucker’s Spooky Halloween is an amusing Halloween picture book that will appeal to 3- to 5-year-olds. Because it is part of the Candlewick Storybook Animations series, Tucker’s Spooky Halloween includes not only the small hardbound picture book by Leslie McGuirk, but also a combination DVD/CD with animated and audio versions of the story, plus a poster of a fall scene with stickers that can be used to create a Halloween scene featuring Tucker.

Who Is Tucker?

Who is Tucker? Tucker is a small white dog who wants very much to dress up in a spooky Halloween costume that will scare everyone who sees him. Poor Tucker! His owner has different ideas. She has Tucker try on a variety of costumes, none of which are frightening.

As Tucker tries on a bee costume, a hot dog costume and a Hawaiian costume, he becomes increasingly unhappy. He has great hopes when his owner brings home a costume for him, but he is disappointed to see that it is a cowboy costume. As Tucker expected, he doesn’t look spooky in it. Even worse, when the children who come to his door trick-or-treating see Tucker, they think he is “so-o-o-o-o cute!”

Fortunately, Tucker has a great idea. Young children will laugh at Tucker’s ingenuity as he finally creates a costume that is spooky. Dressed in it, he scares the trick or treaters. When his owner sees Tucker’s costume (you’ll have to read the book to find out what it is), she exclaims, “Aren’t you a sneaky, spooky little dog?”

Tucker’s Spooky Halloween: The Author and Illustrator

Leslie McGuirk is the author and illustrator of Tucker’s Spooky Halloween, Some of her other books about Tucker include:

• Ho, Ho, Ho, Tucker!, another of the Candlewick Storybook Animations (Compare prices.)
• Lucky Tucker (Compare prices.)
• Tucker’s Valentine (Compare prices.).

Tucker’s Spooky Halloween: My Recommendation

While Tucker’s Spooky Halloween is an amusing story, with simple illustrations, what makes it fun for young children is being able to enjoy it in different forms. The DVD brings the story to life in animation. The CD has two audiobook versions: one that is a simple narration of the story and one that includes both the narration and sound effects to let the listener know when to turn each page.

If that’s not enough, there is also a 9” x 17” poster, with stickers of Tucker in costume and other items from the book’s illustrations so a child can create a Halloween scene. This is a good book for three- to six-year-olds, particularly ones who get scared easily. While the story is not scary at all, it does point out, in a light-hearted fashion, how much fun it can be to be scary at Halloween. (Candlewick Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780763644697)

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.