CinderHazel: The Cinderella of Halloween

Everybody knows about Cinderella, but do you know about Cinderhazel? This is a 'funny' take on Cinderella in a Halloween theme.  It's aimed at Kindergarten - 2nd grade but I would make sure that whomever you are reading this to,is pretty well versed in the regular old tale of Cinderella.  And also understands irony, and other weird jokes.

Basically, Cinderhazel likes to be dirty, really dirty. Why? Who knows, it's never explained. She has two evil stepsisters Hermione and Hildy and an evil step-mother.  There's a ball for Prince Alarming to find a witchy bride and he also likes to be dirty, apparently.  There is a witchy godmother and a flying vacuum.  Yeah.  It's interesting.  And Halloween is really an after thought.

This is really not my favorite Halloween book but I'm sure it would appeal to some kids. It does have very clever word play and for a smarter bunch they could really be tickled by it. 

Will I be reading it to my preschoolers? No.  It's over their heads and they talk about putting spells on people and I don't think putting spells on people would be a hit with the preschool parent crowd.

Ideas
Compare and contrast Cinderella with Cinderhazel.  You could use a Venn Diagram.
Have child pick a different familiar fairy tale and write their own new version.  Sleeping Ugly anyone?
Have child make masks of characters in the book and put on a play.


Don't forget to enter my Shutterfly giveaway! 3 lucky winners will get 25 free cards! Also, the Nov. Group read poll is up in the sidebar!

10 Trick-or-Treaters: A Halloween Counting Book

Who doesn't like a cute counting book for specific holidays? 10 Trick-or-Treaters is a colorful, fun, quick read that counts down from 10 with silly reasons for the Trick-or-Treaters to slowly trickle from the 10 down to 0.  It would be best for ages 3-6 and there are many oppurtunites to stop and ask questions, counting practice and lots of giggles as spiders and toads interrupt the trick-or-treating fun!



Halloween Counting Ideas
For those that can count to 20 - Here's a fill in the blank worksheet
One-to-one practice and counting - Here's a cut and paste
Connect the dots (1-22) - Worksheet here

And of course you can always compare and contrast Halloween candy/treats, taste-test and graph favorites!

Clifford's Halloween

Emily Elizabeth's favorite holiday is Halloween! Last year she dressed up as pirate and Clifford was a ghost.  This year she is going to be a fairy princess but Clifford is still undecided. 

This is a cute quick read that preschool through first grade would enjoy.  It briefly touches over how Clifford celebrates other holidays and how last year's Halloween went.  As most Clifford books go, the enjoyment comes out of the pictures.  This one does not disappoint with amusing pictures of Clifford scaring people because of his largeness and a dunking for apples mishap.  Whenever I've read it, I always get giggles from the kids.  Clifford is always a favorite.

Potential ideas to go along with the book?
 Easy - Have children color in this picture of Clifford with the Halloween costume they think he should have.
Medium Ability - Have children write a sentence and draw picture of what Clifford should be for Halloween. 
A little harder - Also read Clifford's First Halloween and compare the two stories. How are they alike? How are they different? How does Clifford's size affect his choices? Practice story-retelling.

What's your favorite Clifford book?
(The November Group Read Poll will be put up on the side bar today!)

Attention Teachers...

When do you start reading Halloweenish books? I was going through my children books the other day and got super excited about reading my Halloween books! Though I don't want to read them toooo early and then have nothing the week of Halloween, but maybe I could throw in one Halloween book a week until the week of Halloween? :)

Here are some of the books I'm excited about!

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper has EXCELLENT illustrations... Oh man I am super excited about this one. I can already hear one of my little boys giggling over the photos and the slurping and slopping of the soup! Basically, three friends live in a cabine Duck, Squirrel and Cat. They make pumpkin soup everyday and each have their own jobs. One day Duck wants a new job and uh-oh trouble starts!! It's cute, funny and awesome for kids 4-9.

Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble by Judy Schachner is yet another hilarious Skippyjon Jones tale.

Another tale featuring the independent, stubborn Siamese kitten. Once again,
Skippyjon dons mask and cape, enters his closet, and changes into El Skippito
Friskito, an adventure-loving Chihuahua. Here, after daydreaming about ancient
Egypt, he converts into his alter ego and meets his amigos (a pack of
troublemaking poochitos) along the Nile River. Skippyjon fans will find much to
like here–the amigos speak a slang of Spanish and English and spur the
frightened kitten into confronting the Sphinx and a mummy–but the book may be a
bit confusing for newcomers as there is no explanation of his transformation or
his canine pals. Done in acrylics and pen and ink, the vibrantly colored
illustrations add humor to the already silly story (the gang wants to visit the
Under Mundo where mummitos rest in peas) and children will want to stop and pore
over the details (the mummy is a Siamese). The text is lengthy, with several
points of action, so it is recommended for readers who can follow the longer
format. However, the narrative is broken up by songs and rhymes that will keep
them laughing throughout. When Skippyjon returns to his (real) mummy, youngsters will feel as if they have been to ancient Egypt with him.–Susan E. Murray,
Glendale Public Library, AZ (Ages 4-10)

10 Trick-or-Treaters by Janet Schulman is a cute counting book for preschoolers/kindergartens with a Halloween twist. Cute pictures and funny words!

What are some of your favorite Halloween books?