Poetry Friday: Halloween books, “Flashlight Night,” and a Halloween haiku!

^{All images @ 2017 Astra Young Readers, all rights reserved}

I never planned on it being a Halloween book…but whaddaya know??

When Flashlight Night (Boyds Mills & Kane, 2017) debuted on Sept. 19, 2017 (National Talk Like a Pirate Day, no less!), little did I know how popular a Halloween book it would become!

(And no, I’m NOT talking about Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s foray into children’s publishing earlier this year, which she unfortunately titled “Flashlight Night”…sigh.

For the last few years, children’s lit bloggers and reviewers have been sharing lists of their favorite Halloween books – and I’m both shocked and humbled to see my little book showing up beside works by such esteemed notables as Neil Gaiman, Dr. Seuss, Aaron Reynolds, my good friends Charles Ghigna and Patricia Toht, among others.

So, if you’re looking for some Halloween or autumn-themed books for your little ones, here are a few suggestions:

• We Are Teachers: 35 of the Best Halloween Books for Classroom Shelves
• Jennifer Lambert: Favorite Halloween Books
• Dr. Lori Friesen: 10 Best Halloween Books
• Barnes & Noble: 9 Picture Books for Kids with October Birthdays
• Diamond Montessori: Holiday Books, Halloween Edition
• Los Angeles Public Library: Not-so-scary Stories for Halloween
• Raising a Legacy: Glow in the Dark Water / Book recommendation
• Book Scrolling: The Best Children’s Halloween Books
• Santa Clara County Library
• Literacious: Campfire and Flashlight Books
• Bookelicious: Action, Adventure, and Travel

Thank you so much to all these individuals and groups for sharing their love of reading with the world…and for including Flashlight Night!

And since we’re only a little over a week away from Halloween, I thought I’d re-share this little poem I wrote several years ago:

Looking for more poetry? Then be sure to visit Jama at Jama’s Alphabet Soup for today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup!

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I continue adding to my “Wit & Wordplay” videos ! These videos were created for parents and educators (along with their kids) to learn how to write poetry, appreciate it, and have fun with it. From alliteration and iambs to free verse and spine poetry, I’m pretty sure there’s something in these videos you’ll find surprising! You can view them all on my YouTube channel, and if you have young kids looking for something to keep busy with, I also have several downloadable activity sheets at my website.

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Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click any of the covers below to order!

^{rriving Nov. 30, 2021! Pre-order now!}

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

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Thank you to everyone for your support!

FLASHLIGHT NIGHT:

• NY Public Library’s “100 Best Book for Kids 2017” AND “Staff Pick!”
• KIRKUS Starred review!
• Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Books!
• “Best Reads of 2017,” Unleashing Readers
• Finalist, 2019 New Hampshire Literary Awards
• Positive reviews from Horn Book, School Library Connection, School Library Connection, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and Shelf-Awareness!

DON’T ASK A DINOSAUR:

• “Rollicking rhyme!” – Booklist
  • “A wild romp!” – Parenting NH Magazine
  • “Cute…intriguing…4 out of 5 stars”     – Tulsa Book Review
  • “Rhythmic…funny and informative”     – Unleashing Readers

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