Tricks and treats aplenty in new Halloween books for kids

Celebrate Halloween with some of these great new children's books:

Duck and Goose look everywhere for a pumpkin until their friend Thistle tells them about the local pumpkin patch in "Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin" (Schwartz & Wade/Random House, $6.99). This board book is the latest in the "Duck and Goose" series by author/illustrator Tad Hills. (Ages birth-2.)

Each page of "Whooo's That?" (Harcourt, $9.99), written by Kay Winters and illustrated by Jeannie Winston, offers a lift-the-flap pumpkin, making this an especially fun book for very young readers. (Ages 1-3.)

In his picture-book debut, author Tom Brenner perfectly captures kids' anticipation of the holiday in "And Then Comes Halloween" (Candlewick Press, $16.99). With evocative watercolor and collage illustrations by Caldecott Honor-winning artist Holly Meade, this book is a wonderful way to share the sights, sounds and smells of the season with young readers. (Ages 3-6.)

Take a traditional tune, fill it with Halloween sprites and spirits and you've got "Over in the Hollow" (Chronicle Books, $15.99). Author Rebecca Dickinson clearly had fun giving the classic children's song "Over in the Meadow" a Halloween makeover, while S. Britt's (cq) illustrations burst with wild action and color. (Ages 3-6.)

Caldecott Medalist Emily Arnold McCully teams with veteran author Eve Bunting to tell a frightful tale that ends happily in "The Banshee" (Clarion, $16). (Ages 4-7.)

A round yellow moon in a dark night sky is calling a young witch to come and fly. But it's her first time and learning to fly on a broom isn't easy, as author Alison McGhee shows in "Only a Witch Can Fly" (Feiwel & Friends, $16.99). McGhee's story of the value of perseverance is lyrically told in a poetry form called a sestina. The linoleum-block-print illustrations by Taeeun Yoo are spectacular. (Ages 4-7.)

Author/illustrator Michael Rex has a thing for Margaret Wise Brown's classic books. Last year, he came out with "Goodnight Goon," a parody of "Goodnight Moon." Now he's just released "The Runaway Mummy" (Putnam, $15.99), a hilarious spoof of Brown's "The Runaway Bunny" that older kids will love. (Ages 5-8.)

Author Sean Taylor tells a delightfully comical story in "When a Monster Is Born" (Roaring Brook, $12.99). Featuring zany illustrations by Nick Sharratt, Taylor's tale carries echoes of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" as the book's ending circles back to the beginning. (Ages 3-6.)