PreS-Gr 2-A wary bear peeks into 12 rooms to find a variety of Halloween characters in this reworking of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Black cats, wicked witches, jack-o-lanterns, dancing zombies, and howling werewolves are among the things he finds until a foldout spread reveals a party attended by 12 trick-or-treaters. What raises this title above other books of this type, including Guy Vasilovich's The 13 Nights of Halloween (HarperCollins, 2011), is the "I Spy"-type format. Each picture includes all of the items mentioned previously along with the new addition, and readers are invited to search each spread to find them. Children will want to pore over the not-too-scary pictures until they find every creature mentioned in the rhyme. A fun addition to Halloween collections.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

As a bear in a purple hoodie creeps through the rooms of a haunted house, a rhyme based on "The Twelve Days of Christmas" describes the spooky sights. Pamintuan's slick digital spreads start out sparse and become increasingly lively, as more figures appear, including "six ghosts a-boooo-ing" and "eight werewolves howling." A gatefold reveals a grand celebration and the final verse. Readers should enjoy the suspense-building formula, interactive features (several items are hidden throughout), and more kooky than spooky cartoons. Ages 2-5. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Should readers tag along with an amiable bear into a haunted house? Absolutely!Closely following the sing-along structure of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," bear narrates his journey from one place in the house to another. "Through the first haunted doorway / I peeked right in to see... / A bat hanging from a bare tree." Young ones will immediately respond to the challenge, hunting for the image(s) and counting to make sure they have found what the bear has spied. The usual Halloween characters are here: witches, black cats, skeletons, jack-o'-lanterns, ghosts and so on. Even though the illustrations do little to break new ground, Pamintuan knows his preschool and learning-to-read audience. As bear goes to each part of the house, all the creatures come with him, so readers need to sing and find them allagain and again. The cumulative repetition creates a scavenger-hunt experience that engages children and their grown-ups alike. The hunt grows more challenging as the number of spooky critters increases, and the humorously detailed scenes become busier all the way to the final gatefold. For those who do not want the fun to end, turn the last page to discover even more hidden items "throughout the haunted house."This peek-and-find story is sure to please.(Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.