Halloween Countdown Day 3: Ghosts and Goosebumps Poems

When it comes to ANY holiday, one of my favorite things is well written children's poetry (or even just well written "childish" poetry) to talk about the event. Last year I featured our Top 10 Halloween Kid's Books here at the Goodwill Geek abode in two parts. One of the books in the countdown was a poetry book, as was one of the honorable mentions. Added to the shelf this year is this incredible little book I found at Goodwill for just .99 cents:

Ghosts and Goosebumps: Poems to Chill Your Bones is really a great little collection of poems selected by Bobbi Katz to celebrate Halloween. Deborah Kogan Ray's illustrations are simple but quite eerie and beautiful all the same. I've selected some of my absolute favorites to feature here. I think I'll just post them here and let them speak for themselves for the most part, with some very brief comments of my own. 

I always love a good introductory poem. This one reminds me so much of Shel Silverstein's poem "Invitation" that I wanted to post it here as well: 

While there are some similarities, I don't feel like Katz's poem is derivative at all. It may be sort of in the same vein as Silverstein's... but one is about one thing, and one is clearly about another.

More Autumn Ghosts! I had never read this poem before when I wrote my own poem "Halloween is Coming" but the ideas of Autumn and ghosts just go together so well...

Creepy. As. Heck.

My son was SO excited when he realized he recognized the Prelutsky poem from the book "It's Halloween". This picture gave both my boys the shivers.

I LOVE the descriptions near the end. "giving that dead orange vegetable skull warm skin..." Brrr...

That's it for me boils and ghouls! I'll be back soon with more Grim Goodwill Goodies! Until then, Happy Haunting!

Be sure to check out all of the great blogs participating in this year's Halloween Countdown! You can do so by clicking this link, or clicking on the Cryptkeeper 2013 banner on the sidebar to the right! Also, check out the "Blog-O-Ween" Halloween Blog collective, again by following this link, or through the badge on the sidebar! Thanks!