Ready for HALLOWEEN IN THE ORCHARD?

 

BEAMING BOOKS, September 12, 2023

It's that time again! HALLOWEEN gets it "day" earlier every year, but it's never too soon to celebrate when a fun new book (from a fun series) launches! One reading will cement the title in your mind, because the orchard is the star of this fun offering. 

HALLOWEEN IN THE ORCHARD is written by Phyllis Alsdurf and illustrated by Lisa Hunt. This latest in the COUNTRYSIDE HOLIDAY series by the same pair of  creatives also stars a conventional family who are launched into the story after paging past pumpkin-pure-orange endpapers. An idyllic farm scene introduces the story with an expansive double spread fall farm scene and a few rhymed lines. One page turn further finds the first-person narrator boy choosing to be a pirate for the coming trip to the orchard. The remaining text is in natural prose with enough repetition of phrases to encourage young readers to chime in after a few readings.

After living in a rural/agricultural area for more than a decade, I am a cheerleader for such settings and their independent owners who rely on such seasonal commercial opportunities to supplement their farm income in gratifying ways. They also celebrate these opportunities to introduce families to agriculture and the outdoors. The memorable and informative fun they experience on an outing like this produce lifetime memories. I especially appreciate that opening spread in which the farmers are busily investing time, resources, and energy into preparing the best possible experiences for visitors of any age. 

If you've ever enjoyed a farm/orchard Halloween, at any age, you will smile in recognition and revive those memories of your own. For children anticipating a trip, this provides wonderful preparation and then a lively revival of the experience after those trips. In addition, there are two activity prompts that follow the narrative, one with directions for creating a trick-or-treat bag, and a second page that features each of the scarecrows from the story to provide search-and-find fun before a final turn to endpapers celebrating that pumpkin hue.

If this sounds like your jam, for family, classroom, or library sharing, you will want to check out the other titles in this charming series: Thanksgiving in the Woods, and A Simple Christmas on the Farm. Happy country experiences to all, and deep gratitude to those whose daily lives make our supermarket shelves possible!