A young boy and his sister are dispatched to the other side of town one blustery autumn night to fetch some milk in this spooky picture book from co-authors Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, and illustrator Ted Rand. Hurrying through the dark night, the pair squabble about the boy's hat, which his sister insists makes him look stupid, but they are in complete accord when it comes to the Ghost-Eye tree standing at the midway point of their walk. Making their way past it going out, they find themselves terrified by a wailing sound they hear, when passing it on the way back, and scramble madly for safety. Once home, the boy decides he will make himself scarce, when his mother again wants milk at night...

Given the subject matter, and the striking cover image, I expected to enjoy The Ghost-Eye Tree, which I initially sought out as a Halloween read, despite the fact that it is not explicitly a Halloween story. I was not disappointed, finding the story satisfactorily spooky, as well as unexpectedly heartwarming. I appreciated the fact that while the sister begins by ridiculing her brother (not unrealistically, in a tale about siblings), she also is very determined to help him, when push comes to shove and he loses his hat. The accompanying artwork from Ted Rand was by turns deliciously creepy and beautifully expressive, and I particularly appreciated the use of light, and the range of expressions the artist captured in his human faces. The text itself had a poetic cadence, making this a good read-aloud selection, which is hardly surprising when one considers that the story was developed by the co-authors as a readers' theater piece for young people. All in all, this is one I would recommend to picture book readers and audiences in the mood for spooky read-alouds. ( )

This book terrified me as a child. I still hate seeing the cover because the tree creeped me out so much. ( )

When I first started reading this story I was enjoying it. I really liked the illustrations. I also really liked how some of the words were rhyming. Rhyming words always makes a story more engaging and enjoyable to read. However, as I continued to read I noticed the story got boring. I did not feel engaged at all. I felt like the story did not have a message for the readers. I feel like an important factor that a book needs to have is to have a central message. This book would not be a book I would recommend. ( )

a book about a brother and sister going out on an adventure through the woods
1 book

I enjoyed reading this book! Personally, I think it would work really well as a read aloud for a younger elementary class close to Halloween because of the creepy storyline. The reasons that I liked reading this story were the illustrations, the rhyme scheme throughout the text, and repetitive phrases such as “”Oooo” and “dark” and “dread”. With the illustrations, the lack of bright colors and the dark shadows on the characters faces emphasizes the creepy and scary tone throughout the story. Also, the facial expressions on the characters demonstrate the relationship between them (specifically the brother and sister). It can allow the students/readers to make personal connections to a time that they felt scared either by themselves or with a sibling, family member or friend. The rhyme scheme that is evident throughout the story can benefit the students/readers during a read aloud. The students can guess the word(s) at the end of each phrase based on their knowledge of what words rhyme with the previous ends of phrases. In addition, the rhyme scheme gives the book/story a rhythm that the teacher can emphasize during the read aloud. Finally, the repetitive phrases within the text allow the students to hear the language over and over again. Also, these phrases reflect the tone/theme of the book. For example, the phrases “Oooo”, “dark” and “dread” emphasize the creepy and frightening tone and setting of the forest, specifically the area near the Ghost-Eye tree. These words/phrases can be used as word wall words or words of the day to assess the children on their vocabulary. ( )