Lovely curvy shapes and autumn colors fade to dusky blues as night falls, and children are sure to notice the traditional elements of a Halloween party: apple bobbing, lit jack-o’-lanterns, and punch and treats.īeloved Little Blue takes a bit of the mystery-and fear-out of Halloween costumes. The flaps are large and sturdy, and enough of the animals’ characteristic features are visible under and around the costumes that little ones will be able to make successful guesses even on the first reading. Not to be left out, Little Blue has a costume, too.

‘It’s me! It’s me!’ ” The sheep is disguised as a clown, the cow’s a queen, the pig’s a witch, the hen and her chick are pirates, and the horse is a dragon. “Who’s that in a tutu / striking a pose / up on the tiniest / tips of her toes? / Under the mask / who do you see?” Lifting the flap unmasks a friend: “ ‘Quack!’ says the duck. ‘It’s Halloween!’ / You come, too.” As they drive, they are surprised (and joined) by many of their friends in costume. Little Blue Truck and his buddy Toad are off to a party, and they invite readers (and a black cat) along for the ride: “ ‘Beep! Beep! Beep!’ / says Little Blue. Big feelings aren’t merely the domain of childhood, the picture assures readers, thus normalizing a range of human emotions as “only natural.” A clever visual coda shows a child, stripped of animal get-ups and any clothing at all, running free.Ī lift-the-flap book gives the littlest trick-or-treaters some practice identifying partygoers under their costumes. Perhaps the greatest strength of the book is its concluding incorporation of adults. Milgrim’s boldly outlined, digitally produced illustrations expand beyond their focuses on the children to provide context for the highlighted feelings-the child who feels “as chicken as a chicken” is afraid of a friendly-looking dog on a leash, for example. The conceit of animal costumes as visual metaphor for emotions described in the text carries on to depict children who are feeling as “stubborn as a mule” and “clumsy as an ox” and “sad as a lost kitten in the rain,” among other states. A compassionate look at feelings uses animal similes to affirm universal human emotions.Ī child dressed as a lion roars the word “FEELINGS” in the display type on the book’s cover.

Wild feelings by david milgrim