Two Little Witches : A Halloween Counting Story Book

Illustrated by the Caldecott Medal-winning Simms Taback, this holiday counting book follows a growing crowd of trick-or-treaters as they make their way through the "dark on Halloween night." Two witches meet up and are soon joined by a small clown, a tall skeleton, a striped cat, a fuzzy bunny, an orange pumpkin, a friendly pirate, a big astronaut, and a pink princess, forming a gang of trick-or-treaters. When they break up, however, one is different from the others, and departs in an unusual fashion...

I cannot say that Two Little Witches: A Halloween Counting Story really appealed to me that much, as its simplistic narrative (one and one makes two, add one and then you have three... and so on) left me mostly bored. But for children at the right level, who are just getting going as independent readers, or who are learning their numbers, I can see the repetitive structure really working very well. The pencil, ink and watercolor illustrations, on the other hand, will appeal to anyone who appreciates Taback's zany artwork, myself included. Recommended primarily to younger Halloween celebrants, particularly those at the counting stage, or who are beginning readers.