Review - A Teeny Tiny Halloween

A Teeny Tiny Halloween
by Lauren L. Wohl
illustrated by Henry Cole
Date: 2016
Publisher: Persnickety Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

It happens every fall. The leaves from the tall trees that surround her house drift down until the teeny tiny woman’s teeny tiny house is buried completely. Inside it’s dark and a teeny tiny bit scary, but the resourceful woman has a plan and a few surprises up her teeny tiny sleeve.

Written to be shared through read-aloud or story-telling, the type face indicates where the teller should be whispering and when suddenly s/he should shout – surprising the listeners, even causing them to jump, which puts this book in the realm of jump-tales, so popular at spooky-story times like Halloween and around the campfire on summer evenings. Short enough for even young children to remember after reading or hearing the story a few times, the book encourages children themselves to tell the tale themselves, making a family tradition.

Former Disney Publishing executive, Lauren L. Wohl, tells an all-new story starring a favorite character from folklore with an autumnal chill and a special treat that brings the book to a perfect-for-Halloween ending. Children will want to return to the teeny tiny house again and again to enjoy Henry Cole’s illustrations that capture the mood and the humor of the tale.

Sure to be a perennial holiday favorite, like The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, a book that makes the bestseller list every single Halloween!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I was curious to see where this was going to go with the teeny tiny woman and everything else about her life that's teeny tiny. Unfortunately, there's not much else to it. The gimmick seems to be the repetition of the words "teeny tiny" in very small text. The rest of the story doesn't have much going for it.

Every year, the leaves fall and bury the teeny tiny woman's house. She tries to make noise to get some help, but nobody hears her. So she decides to bake cookies. These attract a trio of trick-or-treaters, who unearth the house and then get rewarded.

I don't know... This almost has "Hansel and Gretel" vibes to me. The teeny tiny woman isn't malicious, but still... I'm not a fan of kids accepting food from strangers (especially handmade food). The fact that it's Halloween is probably supposed to help; after all, if these kids had just found some random woman's house in the forest on any other day of the year, it would've set off big red flags if she'd invited them in for cookies.

Child luring? I don't know. It's just a little too creepy for me. The illustrations are cute, though.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3 out of 5