Creating a Spooktacular Halloween

October 2013

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. When I was a kid, my mother and I would start talking about and designing my Halloween costume as soon as school started in the fall. My brother and I were everything from the traditional butterfly and devil to the trendy (CareBear – it was the early 80s) to the local (Philly Fanatic – it was South Jersey). As we grew older we grew out of trick-or-treating but I still love the holiday. From funky costume parties with college friends to more ‘grown up’ parties with an elegant decor to fun kid’s parties with tons of Halloween treats, I love it all. Take a look at some of these great books for instruction and inspiration for making this Halloween the best one yet.

Tired of the same old Jack-o-lanterns? Check out this pair of carving guides full of extremely different ideas you and your family can use on your pumpkins this year! These are not for the beginning carvers, though some ideas can be done by those just starting to create extreme pumpkin art. 

*Personal Note: My niece and I tried out a couple ideas from these books last year. We discovered that all pumpkins are not equal and we are not extreme pumpkin artists, but we had fun creating a mess and laughing together.*

If you aren’t quite up to the level of Extreme Pumpkins, there are guides for both painting pumpkins and easier patterns for carving pumpkins. 

Latricia Batchelor Markle

Children's Librarian, Tenafly Public Library