SCARY FRIGHT, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?

Not just for Halloween, packed with silly spooky humor, Gibala-Broxholm’s debut promises readers year-round delight. The story opens on Friday the 13th as Scary Fright (“a perfect monster”) comes home after playing with a new friend. Her behavior is peculiar—she takes in a kitten (“WHAT is that THING?” her father asks; “you can have it for dessert,” says her mom), chooses pizza over spiderweb soup, and draws pictures of rainbows and butterflies instead of dragons and ghosts. Her parents take her to see Doctor Ghastly, who listens to both her hearts beat. Her diagnosis: an acute case of “Human-i-tis.” The cure: a bubbling brew of a bug with a sprinkle of witches’ warts and 13 teardrops from a dragonfly’s eyes. Or else, she might start playing in the sun and drinking chocolate milk. With three sections and a roughly 6 x 9 trim size, the work has the feel of a chapter book and will appeal to youngsters in transition to reading for themselves. Executed with pencil and watercolor wash, a blend of framed vignettes, spot art, and full-bleed illustrations make it a good bet for group sharing. This one’s a crowd pleaser, no matter the season. (Picture book. 4-8)