Halloween Picture Book Review – Nice to Eat You
NICE TO EAT YOU Written by Karen Yin Illustrated by Carolina Coroa (Orchard Books; $19.99, Ages 4-8) HAPPY HALLOWEEN! When I noticed a Spirit Halloween had opened in my neighborhood, I knew it was time to read Nice to Eat You, Karen Yin's latest picture book, with art by Carolina Coroa. Read on for the review, and let me know in the comments what your fave Halloween candy is. While I am not a cupcake fan, I'm easily tempted by Tootsie Roll Pops. ABOUT THE BOOK: Full of dark humor and clever word play, little ones will love this Hansel & Gretel-inspired Halloween story about a sneaky witch who lures a group of children to her house. Are the kids in for a pleasant visit ... or are they in danger of getting eaten? REVIEW: Yin's wicked humor in Nice to Eat You pairs with Coroa's jewel-toned art that fabulously fills each page, making for a Halloween treat with a delectable ending sure to bring big laughs to surprised little ones. I got a kick from the twist on Hansel & Gretel. In this case, the old lady (witch) who encounters four children in the forest cleverly backtracks on her verbal intentions, enticing the gullible, hungry children to her cottage. The illustrations below show the first example, when the witch quickly changes her first statement from "bodies" to "everybody" after seeing the kids' fearful reactions. The contrast between the bright colors for the happy kids and the dark, ominous colors for the sneaky witch works well, so youngsters will not be scared by an emotive read from a parent, teacher, or caregiver. As the story progresses, the witch's plan becomes clearer and clearer, yet the children's hunger gets the better of them. They soon believe everything is fine despite their suspicions. I think even the youngest of readers will catch on to the deft wordplay and might even warn the children to GET OUT! Another neat element in Nice to Eat You is how Yin's benevolent-looking witch kept me thinking there would be a twist and a big misunderstanding would be revealed. How could this witch have anything nefarious under her hat? Or, would I be better served feeling caution? Was she truly up to no good? Then readers meet the cats. As a fan of felines, I noticed foreshadowing about the witch's kitties early on in the illustrations: a border with cats and a framed picture. So when the cats turned up in the storyline, I hoped all would be okay. That's when Yin caught me off guard. Which I loved, by the way. Of course the title alone should've been a clue, but I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Now don't get me wrong, the end is not unhappy; it's actually quite hysterical. Between the well-crafted prose and the delightfully rendered art (which I'll admit was hard to…
Two New Rosh Hashanah Picture Books for 2026
TWO NEW PICTURE BOOKS FOR ROSH HASHANAH THE SWEETEST ROSH HASHANAH Written by Mara Bergman Illustrated by Aura Lewis (Candlewick Press; $18.99, Ages 4-7) This feel-good picture book contains all the right elements (or should I say ingredients?) for the Rosh Hashanah holiday and an enjoyable read-aloud. Part of "The Festivals of the World" series, The Sweetest Rosh Hashanah focuses on the Jewish New Year and a little girl named Ellie. She loves helping her parents prepare for the New Year meal, especially the challah, the honey cake, and the apples and honey. But when she's reminded that her grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins will be joining them, she remembers how bossy her cousin Lara had been on her previous visit. Ellie decides that, rather than having Lara take something of hers and leave with it like she did last time—Ellie's special paint set, to be precise—she'd hide her special toys from Lara. What a surprise, then, when Lara shows up with a handmade card apologizing for taking the paint set and for her bossy behavior. Ellie takes her cue from the meaning of Rosh Hashanah and forgives her cousin. In the spirit of Rosh Hashanah and turning over a new leaf, the cousins move forward with love and open minds, "... the perfect start to a sweet new year." Lewis's warm palette captures the festive moments in a flat, folk art style that I love, as a diverse family gathers to celebrate the holiday. Bergman captures a common childhood emotion and creates a joyful picture book in which forgiveness offers a chance for new beginnings. With four pages of backmatter in this 32-page picture book, the story unfolds quickly, with every spread moving it toward a heartwarming conclusion. Kids will find a step-by-step recipe for making challah as well as a New Year's card craft activity. STELLA'S SPECIAL RECIPE: A Rosh Hashanah Story Written by Melissa Stoller Illustrated by Valerya Milovanova (Kar-Ben Publishing; $19.99. Ages 2-8) Meet Stella, the narrator of Stella's Special Recipe. Now that she's old enough to help her mom make the stuffed cabbage rolls, a family recipe passed down for generations, Stella can't wait to get started. She doesn't have to go far to gather the ingredients, since she lives on a farm where they're easy to pick. Stoller skillfully uses catchy language tools such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, consonance, assonance, and a repeatable refrain that grows longer as mouthwatering ingredients are added. "We chop-drop tomatoes into a pot for sauce. Sizzle, sizzle. Steam swirls." Pure yum! One tradition that's also been passed down in different colored ink from Stella's bubbe, nana, and mom is adding their own personal touch. "'Could I add my own dash or dollop?'" I wonder." This got me curious to see what new recipe variation would get selected. When Stella added honey, I knew she'd found the perfect addition that simply shouted her name to keep the sweet family tradition going. I'd be…
A Guest Review and Interview with Ona Gritz, The Shape of Wings Author
THE SHAPE OF WINGS Written by Ona Gritz (West 44 Books; Available in Hardcover, Paperback, and eBook, Ages 14-18/Grades 9-12) GUEST REVIEW BY KAROL SILVERSTEIN: Newly connected with her biological sisters (having hunted down her sperm donor-dad on Ancestry), C.C. is loving getting to know them. But when talk turns to sports and other physical activities they all enjoy, C.C. chooses not to share that she has cerebral palsy, enjoying the anonymity of the Zoom room. C.C.’s friend group—which includes bestie volleyball star Paige—is all non-disabled. In fact, the only other disabled person C.C. knows is a local woman who’s a wheelchair user. That changes when Jasmine comes to the library where C.C. works. C.C. instantly recognizes Jasmine’s altered gait and assumes, correctly, that Jasmine has CP too. Jasmine’s astonished that C.C. has no disabled friends and is unaware of the nearby Judy Heumann Center, a gathering place for disabled kids and teens that offers adaptive sports and other activities. Jasmine takes C.C. under her wing, taking her to the Heumann Center and introducing her around. The experience proves to be a revelation for C.C., who begins spending most of her time with Jasmine and the other disabled teens she meets. She even begins a sweet romance with Lucas, who’s blind, and starts learning adaptive volleyball. Meanwhile, C.C.’s been blowing off her other friends, and Paige is hurt and confused by how unavailable C.C.’s been all summer. Like keeping her CP a secret from her sisters, C.C. hasn’t shared her new friends or her budding romance with Paige. When C.C. does finally hang out with Paige and her old friend group, she meets Paige’s cute cousin Jack, who takes an interest in C.C. Longing to “test the waters” of attracting a non-disabled guy, C.C. allows herself to be swept up in his attention and they kiss a little on her front porch at the end of the night. She instantly regrets her betrayal of Lucas and intends to tell him what she’s done. But Jasmine saw her kissing Jack, and is furious. C.C. knows she needs to come clean with all the secrets she’s been keeping—from Paige, from her sisters and from Lucas. Somehow she needs to reconcile the fences she’s put up and then broken and to bring the separate parts of her world together. Like author Ona Gritz’s previous book that introduced C.C., The Space You Left Behind, this new novel is a hard-to-put-down page turner. It explores the benefit of leaning into one’s disabled identity and the power of having a community that understands you in a way those who don’t share your experience might not. C.C. swings from a disabled teen with no disabled friends to one who shuts out and nearly loses her long-time, non-disabled friends. Obviously, finding a balance and communicating more openly with her old friend group is essential for C.C. Seeing C.C.’s eyes open to all the disabled community has to offer was a thrill. The Judy Heumann Center…