Behind the Book: Halloween is a Treat!

The making of our Halloween board book

When our publisher asked us to make a Halloween board book a couple years ago, the answer was, as a zombie might say, a “no-brainer.”  We’ve been huge fans of making DIY Halloween costumes since our kids were born, and Eunice has spent countless hours to create the most spooky and magnificent haunted houses for her children’s school. (Note to parents: be careful what you volunteer for, as it will haunt you for years to come!). 

Going wild with my twins' first Halloween costumes. Eunice and her daughter - a wonder team!

One of Eunice's epic Halloween haunted houses!

We decided to take a gentle approach to introducing toddlers to Halloween in our book. I still had the searing memory of how much the holiday terrified my son. I mean, how would you feel if people suddenly showed up at your doorstep after dark dressed up as monsters and demanding candy? 

Case in point: My toddler viscerally rejected the idea of dressing up in costume. Can’t say I blame him! That costume came right off and he proudly wore it the following year!

In Halloween is a Treat!, we follow a little black cat and her big sibling through all the Halloween traditions – it’s just spooky enough to introduce children to gentle Halloween thrills while being friendly, funny, and sweet.

Just like in our book Christmas is Awesome! (which follows a grumpy and slightly subversive lump of coal through the thrills of Christmas traditions), I started the text with “Halloween is . . .” followed by short rhyming couplets.  We decided to lead with “cool disguises, big surprises!” because costumes are the most tangible (and possibly weird or scary) part of Halloween for small children.

Eunice did a great job illustrating the costumes, including a bat dressed up as a banana (later, he shows up in a baseball uniform — a baseball bat!), and a bunny dressed as a sushi saying, natch, “I’m on a roll!”   Our heroine, the little back cat, is wiggling into her pumpkin costume – costumes can be itchy and awkward, after all!

I love Eunice’s sketches – here is her bus full of monsters. Our little cat is now comfortably in her costume, getting ready to trick-or-treat with witchy big sis:

Here’s the spread with color. We decided to give big sis a more surprised reaction.

Next, our little cat is joining the trick-or-treat line.  Of course, we couldn’t resist putting in a not-so-subtle “thank you!” from big sis – what a good role model she is! :D

I paired “tricks and treats” with “spooky sweets!” to complete the couplet and celebrate what Halloween excitement is really all about:  CANDY! We figured little ones would love identifying all the different types of candies in this spread:

What Halloween is complete without pumpkin carving?  My children’s school had a tradition of holding a friendly costume contest, complete with funny prizes. Our little cat rocks the pumpkin patch and even wins the “cutest” costume award!

I love all the cute costumes Eunice created for this spread – including the “best group” costume for all the little bugs dressed up as a centipede. 

Finally, we had to celebrate every kids’ favorite part of Halloween – dumping out your candy stash at the end of the night (while listening to Monster Mash – Halloween would be incomplete without it!).

As in Christmas is Awesome!, we wrapped up our little book with an exuberant rhyming couplet, emphasizing the friendly, fun, and delight of Halloween. It truly is the sweetest night! Of course, our little cat chimes in with a “Happy Meow-loween!”

Halloween is a Treat! is available wherever books are sold. Happy haunting and reading!