Author: Alberto Fernandez

Illustrator: Pilar De La Fuente

ISBN: 978-0-9796465-0-8

After a fun-filled evening of Trick-or-Treat and Halloween fun, footsteps in the night waken a young boy. Is it a vampire? A mummy? A giant scary monster? What could it be? To find out, you need to read Alberto Fernandez’s new book, A Halloween Story.

Written at the age of 5 as part of a school project, young Fernandez has created a short story which children will want to hear and read again and again. Black and white illustrations lend to the overall simplicity of the book. Drawn as if by a child’s hand, the pictures help bring the story to life as a child would view it. 

Children not only enjoy the story but also the variety of activities found at the end of the book. Readers are encouraged to “Help the mummy-pup reach his Halloween treats” by working through a maze which spans three pages. Story starters are also included in the book in an effort to help children use their own imaginations. Simple sentences start stories told from the point of view of a spider, a mummy and the man beneath the stairs and give children the opportunity to create stories in a similar fashion of A Halloween Story but with their own ideas and words. This would make a fun fall project for elementary students.

Children are not the only ones who will enjoy this book. Adults will enjoy seeing their children’s expressions as they get deeper and deeper into the story and hearing their surprised “Oh!” at the ending. The book will also invoke fond memories of their own Halloween fun and scares as a youth.

This fall, A Halloween Story is a definite “must read” for children.