Book Review: Hallowilloween: Nefarious Silliness from Calef Brown

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brown, Calef. 2010. HALLOWILLOWEEN: NEFARIOUS SILLINESS FROM CALEF BROWN. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0547215401

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In HALLOWILLOWEEN, author Calef Brown presents a collection of spooky-funny poems and paintings, featuring a wild and wacky cast of Halloween characters. Each of these characters, from Jack the Werewolf, to the infamous “Vumpire” (a vampire umpire), to the dreaded Oompachupa Loompacabra, gives a fun and humorous twist to the traditional monsters, and are sure to thrill and delight young readers. HALLOWILLOWEEN is seasonal poetry at its finest, giving children Calef Brown’s signature wacky laughs in the framework of everything that makes Halloween frightfully fun for gradeschoolers.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
At its heart, HALLOWILLOWEEN is trademark Calef Brown, and those who are already a fan of his work will know what to find here. Each two-page spread features one picture of the central character, and a poem describing who they are as individuals in a funny and amusing way. The poems are fast-paced and catchy, featuring such snappy lines as the mummy’s “I slipped up and tripped on the edge of my crypt,” which are perfect examples of the rapid-fire rhyming that has made Calef Brown such a staple. The poems read well, and the twisted perspective Brown takes with each of his characters removes them from the pool of Halloween clichés into the territory of true originality. Monsters such as the chocolate-wielding Oompachupa Loompacabra will elicit a chuckle from even the most jaded adult, and thrill younger audiences.

The paintings accompanying each poem are no less worthy of note than the poems themselves. Done in Calef Brown’s signature exaggerated, cartoony style, each illustration provides ample characterization for its source creature. For example, the aforementioned mummy is slipping and sliding in his painting, with a look of clumsy bewilderment on his face, simultaneously adding character while providing a humorous visual aid for the reader. Brown’s style of art truly draws the reader in to his fractured worlds, where wackiness abounds, and each character is a shocking reversal of the reader’s preconceived notions. One needs only to look at the cover, into the orange cat’s mischievous jack-o-lantern grin, to see what’s in store.

HALLOWILLOWEEN will ideally be used for grades 3-5, as younger children may not understand the poetry or the rhyme schemes, and may be frightened by a few of Brown’s more absurd or spooky creations. Those in the proper age range, however, will find a vibrant and colorful world, filled with charismatic spooks and hilarious scenarios. Calef Brown has a reputation and a gift for unlocking the absurdity of the world around him through his unique writing style and artistic vision; in HALLOWILLOWEEN, he does not disappoint.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
KIRKUS REVIEWS starred review: “Nefariously silly indeed.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL starred review: "Young readers will relish the wordplay and find themselves torn to choose a favorite among this wacky menagerie.."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review: "Brown delivers satisfyingly off-kilter rhymes."

5. CONNECTIONS
*This book is well-suited to Halloween reading assignments, and Halloween-themed English lessons. Have your students compose their own spooky poems!
*Other books of Halloween-themed poetry:
Wing, Natasha. THE NIGHT BEFORE HALLOWEEN. ISBN 0448419653
Horton, Joan. HALLOWEEN HOOTS AND HOWLS. ISBN 031238016X
Sklansky, Amy. SKELETON BONES AND GOBLIN GROANS. ISBN 080507046X