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Boris and Bella are neighbors in Booville, and they don't exactly get along. Bella is a bit of a mess, and Boris is simply too neat, and neither understands the other.

Bella gets the bright idea of having a Halloween party. She invites everyone in town. Everyone, except Boris, that is! When Boris gets wind of this, he decides to throw his own fete, and invites everyone except, you've guessed it, Bella.

Well, it turns out that none of the creatures in town want to go to either Boris or Bella's shin-digs. Folks don't want to get bitten by Bella's dust bunnies, and they don't want to be admonished by Boris for scuffing up the floors. Everyone is heading off to Harry Beastie's bash.

Both Boris and Bella decide to go to Harry's and give him the what for. Instead, Boris and Bella grudgingly have a good time at the party. After realizing that they are perfectly sized dancing partners, they start to get over their differences.

Beautifully illustrated by Gris Grimly (in his spooky way), Carolyn Crimi's Boris and Bella is simply put my favourite Halloween title. I return to it again and again for read alouds at school and at home as well. My best birthday gift was some Grimly art (the last illustration in the book), which my husband then framed with a homemade sculpy Tim Burton-esque black frame. Truth be told, I'm somewhat of a Bella, and he's a bit Boris.

So, it is with a bit of a heavy heart that I take this last favourite book post to announce the ending of this here blog. It's been a good run, but I have decided to focus my energy over at "Welcome to my Tweendom". If you would like to follow what I am reading in the realm of picture books and teenlit, friend me over at Goodreads.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Halloween!

Carolyn Crimi is the author of my favourite Halloween picture book, so when I saw that she had a new one out, I was very excited.

It's bedtime and Little Baby Mummy is not ready to go to sleep. He wants Big Mama Mummy to play a game of hide and shriek with him. While Mama is doing the dishes, Baby streaks out the door and into the graveyard. After waiting, and waiting for Mama, Baby gets bit worried. Furthermore, he starts to hear some noises. What is that clanking, and wooing?

"Mama Mummy, is that you?" calls Baby.

Nope.

Each time it's another creature telling Baby to get back to bed. Bones, Glob, and Drac all tell him to get back home. Baby's not scared...yet. When he really is scared and needs Mama, wouldn't you know it, she shows up.

With wonderful rhyming text, Where's My Mummy is sure to become a bedtime favourite. John Manders has created the cutest mummies you ever did see. My own daughters have made this their new request when it's time to tuck in.

This makes you smile, doesn't it? It certainly makes me smile.

Michael Rex has written a super fun send up of the beloved Goodnight Moon and just in time for Halloween. Instead of bunnies and mittens and mush, readers will delight with a little werewolf, martians and goo. The setting is a tomb of the creepiest sort, and each page offers lots of details to look at. Slimy floors, skeletons, Frankenstein shoes, and big red spiders are sure to delight.

A not too scary Halloween read with lots of appeal!