Goodnight Train Halloween (Goodnight Train)

PreS--Children and friendly animals have a fun adventure riding a train in sleeper bed cars on Halloween night. The story opens with a pig on the caboose with a megaphone. "It's Halloween! Full moon's aglow. The Goodnight Train is set to go." There is also a bat bringing a blanket to a child dressed as a bumblebee. By the smiles on their faces, both human and Halloween creatures, it is abundantly clear that it's a good time for all on this trip. The train travels through a forest with smiling ghosts and spiders, makes its way through a candy cane storm with a smiling mummy, and has other adventures. Words and art work well together and evoke a sense of excitement about this holiday. In a non-scary way, children learn about ghosts, bats, witches, and other Halloween traditions. There is also the right amount of text to capture young children's attention, without providing too much information for the audience. This perfect bedtime title closes by saying, "Little sleepers start to yawn. The orange moon is almost gone. Halloween's more fun than fright. Now it's time to say good night." This creative book will be popular with parents and caregivers who want to introduce the holiday to younger children. VERDICT Recommended for libraries as a fresh addition to holiday book collections.--Robin Sofge