Monday, October 28, 2019

Review - Harriet's Halloween Candy

Harriet's Halloween Candy (Harriet)
by Nancy Carlson
Date: 1982
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

It's Halloween, and although sharing might be okay the rest of the year, on this day Harriet's determined not to share her treats with her little brother, Walt. She is running out of places to hide her stash, and there's only one thing she can do... Harriet's hilarious—and tummy-aching—solution will delight everyone who reads this comical tale of a hard lesson learned. This 20th anniversary edition of a Halloween classic is now in a larger format.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The Harriet books would've been around when I was a kid, but I don't remember seeing this character before. (Being completely unfamiliar with Harriet, I went through the first part of the book trying to figure out whether she was a dog or a bear!)

Harriet's Halloween Candy is a very simple story about gluttony and sharing. It has a similar plot to Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy: Candy Bonanza, though the narrative is even simpler. Basically, a child (in this case, a dog child) goes trick-or-treating, eats so much candy that they feel sick, and realizes the error of their ways. In this book, Harriet also learns to share (even though it's really her upset stomach that spurs her to share with her little brother rather than any generous feelings).

It's sort of cute, and young children will probably enjoy it. The illustrations are a bit flat and strange, though I think that was sort of the style of things back in the early 1980s (at least, I've seen quite a few picture books with a similar style from that era).

Overall, this isn't bad. I don't mind the plot, and the illustrations are passable. I guess I just wished it had a little more to the story (but I'm looking at it as an adult reader; children might love the simplicity).

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.67 out of 5

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