Trick or Treat Countdown

Safe for easily scared readers, this counting book firmly regulates suspense. ""Three green witches cackle./ Four dead leaves crackle,"" but the imagined ghouls are just trick-or-treaters: ""Haunted house and witches green,/ All make-believe on Halloween."" Tightly framed gouaches keep the stylized ghosts and goblins (who rarely make eye contact) under control. At number 12, the counting sequence reverses into an all-out rush (""Twelve hide./ Eleven glide./ Ten howl./ Nine prowl... "") that dispels any leftover tension. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)