It’s time for ghosts, goblins, spiders and skeletons, black cats, bats, witches and warlocks. Have you ever wondered what our spooky friends are up to before they venture out at night?
In Little Witch’s To-Do List by Helen Kemp Zax and Kiersten Eve Eagan (Abrams Appleseed, 2025), a young witch manages her busy day by methodically tackling a variety of tasks one item at a time. It’s a good thing she’s made a list because there are so many things to finish before bedtime!
Cast a spell for sunshine Fluff my cobweb bed Feed my baby phoenix Turn my black robe red
Once she’s donned her robe and pointy hat, she looks in the mirror, tries to grow a wart hair and practices her scowling. She’s quite determined to master her technique. 🙂
The fun continues with owl training, working on her magic-wand skills, brewing a bee-wing potion, then baking a toadstool cake. With a poof of her magic-wand, she even turns herself into a dragon!
It’s almost Halloween, that special night when wee ghosts, goblins and witches roam the streets collecting sweets. What’s your favorite? Snickers, Twix, Kit-Kats? Well, much as we love chocolate, the furry Alphabet Soup kitchen helpers and I agree there’s no finer treat than a brand new Paddington picture book. 🙂
In Paddington’s Trick or Treat by Michael Bond and R.W. Alley (HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2024), our beloved bear from darkest Peru is super excited about his very first Halloween party. There’s just one problem: an uninvited guest is spoiling all the fun. Can Paddington trick him into leaving?
It all started Halloween morning, when Paddington came downstairs to breakfast carrying Mrs Bird’s best broom and wearing a trash bag draped over his duffle coat. He was working on his costume, since Jonathan and Judy had promised to take him trick-or-treating. Judy suggested they have a party afterwards, to which Paddington heartily agreed, as he’d never been to a Halloween party before.
After some convincing, Mr Brown okayed a small family-only celebration. So Paddington popped off to the market for pumpkins and baking supplies, while Jonathan and Judy worked on their costumes and party decorations.
When he got back, Paddington helped Mrs Bird bake “squashed-fly” (Garibaldi) biscuits, since he couldn’t find any at the market, while Mrs Brown hollowed out pumpkins for lanterns.
Later that afternoon, Paddington passed the time writing Halloween poems until it got dark. Finally, it was time to go trick-or-treating! In his cape, pointed hat, and frayed-rope wig, Paddington made a very convincing witch. The finishing touch was a set of fangs Judy had fashioned from an orange peel turned inside out. Spooky!
They had great fun trick-or-treating; Paddington got so many treats he could hardly carry them. Best head home — but before doing so, Paddington wanted to call on their grumpy neighbor Mr Curry despite Jonathan and Judy’s objections. Paddington disguised his voice while reading his poem, but Mr Curry recognized him. That’s when our well-meaning bear accidentally let slip that they were having a party.
Jama's Alphabet Soup 