cover image A Teeny Tiny Halloween

A Teeny Tiny Halloween

Lauren L. Wohl, illus. by Henry Cole. Persnickety (Legato, dist.), $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-943978-02-1

Wohl (The Eighth Menorah) and Cole (Spot, the Cat) team up for a lightly spooky story about a “teeny tiny woman who lives in a teeny tiny house in a very big forest.” When falling leaves bury the woman’s house, she tries to summon help by making noise and, eventually, baking “teeny tiny chocolate chip cookies” that attract the attention of three trick-or-treating kids. Working in an autumnal palette of reds, golds, oranges, and browns, Cole conjures up a cozy forest setting with just a hint of danger in the woman’s predicament. Wohl’s warm, repeating language (complete with “teeny tiny” adjustments in font size) is made to be read aloud, though the story’s logic falters toward the end. The house turns out to be more child-size than, say, mouse-size, so it’s unclear why the woman—who’s larger than the children that rescue her—couldn’t just dig herself out. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)