Vampire Boy’s Good Night, by Lisa Brown (ages 3 - 6)

Yesterday, a little kid was riding his scooter to school wearing a bat mask and cape. It was the cutest thing ever, and reminded me how much little kids love dressing up and how they get especially excited about Halloween. And yet I remember when my kids were little how hard it was to find a Halloween picture book that celebrated the fun side of Halloween, and wasn't too scary. If you have little ones, Vampire Boy's Good Night is a great find for you.

Vampire Boy’s Good Night
by Lisa Brown
NY: HarperCollins, 2010
ages 3 –6
available on Amazon and at your local library

As this story opens, Bela, a young vampire boy, is awakening for the night to play with his friend Morgan, a young witch. They set out to look for children Bela is sure that there are children out there playing, but Morgan is sure that there’s no such thing as human children.

When they come across a Halloween party, for it is Halloween night, Bela and Morgan are in for a treat — it’s a party full of other witches, goblins and vampires. But the two friends are surprised to discover that the monsters and witches are actually children dressed in Halloween costumes. When Bela and Morgan sail off on the witch’s broom, it’s the children’s turn to be surprised!

Lisa Brown, a local San Francisco author and illustrator, has captured just the right balance between a dark Halloween night and a sweet vampire boy and young witch. Young kids really enjoy getting the joke that children really do exist. The speech bubbles bring children right into Bela and Morgan’s perspective, and the understated prose lets readers discover the tricks for themselves.

If you want more of a flavor of the book, check out this trailer on Lisa Brown's website for Vampire Boy's Good Night.

For all Bay Area families - there's a special treat happening at Kepler's this weekend in Menlo Park. On Sunday, October 10th at 11am, Lisa Brown and Lemony Snicket (husband and wife duo) will be doing a joint story time. It should be a treat for all!

All images are copyright to Lisa Brown. I would like to thank Lisa for kindly sharing them here. The review copy was kindly sent by the publisher. If you make a purchase on Amazon using the links on this page, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you). Thank you for your support!