The 13 Nights of Halloween

The 13 Nights of Halloween

Author:  Rebecca Dikinson

Publisher:  Scholastic, 1996

Grade Level:  Kindergarten and up

Genre:  Rhyming, lyrical, repitition

Summary:  This cute song like book follows the likings of the old folk song The Twelve Days of Christmas.  Instead of Christmas we follow a goblin that gives us a treat for Halloween each day concluding with a big old Halloween bash.  

Pre-Reading Activity:  I would read this book before Halloween.  I would also ask what is associated with Halloween.  We would then work as a class and make a list on the board of things associated with Halloween.

Post-Reading Activity:  See how many of things that were represented in the book were on a list.  You can also break the students into teams of two.  Each team has to write one thing that the goblin brought on a sentence strip.  Then the class has to work together to put the Halloween things into order.  

Reflection:  I like the "catchiness" of the tune and it is very easy to follow.  Most have already heard "The Twelve Days of Christmas," so it is really an easy read to follow along.  My son loves this story as it has all the spooks and surprises that Halloween has to offer.  

Author Rebecca Dickinson

Rebecca was born in boise, Idaho and was the middle child of 5.  Her family moved frequently and she grew up in the great northwest-settling towns all over Washington, California, Alaska, Montana, and then back again to Washington.  Her love for books and drawing began early on and some of her influences are Maurice Sendak, Roald Dahl, Jim Henson, and Dr. Seuss.(amazon.com)