The Ghosts Go Haunting

July 28, 2014
Grinning, goofy ghosts, witches, spiders, and more descend on an unsuspecting elementary school, their shenanigans described in a twist on the familiar children’s song “The Ants Go Marching.” Ketteman makes her way from the ghosts of the title to a horde of blue-skinned zombies that “go stumbling ten by ten.” Some of the verses can be a mouthful: “The monsters go stomping five by five./ They catch the computer repairman alive,/ and they take him stomping/ all over the school/ for some Hal-lo-ween fun./ Clomp! Clomp! Clomp! Clomp!” Supplying crisply rendered illustrations, Record clearly had fun creating supernatural mayhem—one purple goblin has stamped itself with an “overdue” stamp in the library, and the illustrator includes a visual joke in a spread starring eight mummies, drawing a connection between their wrappings and rolls of toilet paper scattered on the bathroom floor. Ages 4–7. Illustrator’s agent: Shannon Associates.

September 1, 2014
An elementary school is beset by ten hordes of ghoulies, to the rhythm of "The Ants Go Marching." On the final spread, the monsters--some of them, at least--are revealed to be kids costumed for the school Halloween party. Despite the verse's sequential nature, the number of creatures portrayed doesn't consistently match the number in the text (e.g., the two-by-two spread shows two pairs of witches, while five-by-five shows five monsters in total). However, a chart helps sort out the math, and the catchy rhyming verse and humorous cartoony illustrations are enough to warrant an encore or two. katie bircher

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2015
A school is beset by ghoulies, to the rhythm of "The Ants Go Marching." On the final spread, the monsters--some of them, at least--are revealed to be kids costumed for Halloween. The catchy rhyming verse and humorous cartoony illustrations are enough to warrant an encore. An appended chart helps sort out the math (one by one, two by two...).

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

October 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 2-Ghosts, witches, goblins, bats, and more pay a rollicking visit to M.T. Tomb's Elementary, where the creatures bring smiles to the faces of students while frightening the school staff. Catchy verses written to the tune of "The Ants Go Marching" will soon have listeners familiar with the song chiming in. The action begins with ghosts haunting one by one and scaring the principal. Witches flying two by two zap the lunch milk into witches' brew. Three by three, groaning goblins chase the librarian up a tree. Antics continue up through zombies stumbling, ten by ten. In the surprising and calming finish students, staffers, and creatures amicably join together for a Halloween party. Record's cartoon character images are not overly scary, and school environment details are kept to a minimum, focusing attention on the lively creatures. The illustrations are large enough for classroom sharing. The book jacket with five ghosts approaching the school entrance and pair of mysterious yellow eyes peeking out from within a tree should pique potential readers' curiosity. On the final page, the illustrator provides a mathematics connection with a graphic representation of just how many creatures are the product of each multiple grouping, such as skeletons rattling nine by nine, equaling 81 in all. Verses and artwork merge successfully into a clever, appealing read-aloud or sing along.-Lynn Vanca, Freelance Librarian, Akron, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.