Groggle's Monster Halloween (Groggle #2)

K-Gr 2--The two furry monsters from Groggle's Monster Valentine return in this colorful, eye-popping ode to Halloween. Blue, bespectacled Groggle and pink, one-eyed Snarlina delight as their trick-or-treat pumpkin pails fill up with deliciously creepy goodies such as crispy bones, lizard tails, and spider pops. Snarlina saves her treats, but monstrously-hungry Groggle devours everything on the spot, even his pail. The lively rhyming text is punctuated by the sounds of the little monster overindulging: "Squish! Squash! Slurrp! Burrp! Oops!" The words stretch out across a vibrant spread. The illustrations are packed with fun details, including a mummy wrapped in a spa towel with cucumbers in place of eyes and a tattooed werewolf wearing a flowered oven mitt. Covering mostly familiar Halloween territory, the story branches out to include sweet messages about friendship. When Snarlina's mermaid crown breaks, Groggle fixes it; and when Groggle is left at evening's end with nothing left to eat, Snarlina shares her goodies because, "That's just what good friends do." VERDICT More fun than fright, this story's lively rhyming text and bold illustrations make it a good choice to read aloud to a group.--Jenny Andrus