#87 of 1001 · October 26, 2020

Continuing with my series of seven scary books leading up to Halloween, we have The Soup Bone by Tony Johnston and Margot Tomes. An old woman, alone on Halloween, digs for a bone to add to her soup, but to her dismay she unearths a living skeleton. There ensues a madcap chase sequence, a tense standoff, and a hilarious reversal in which the undead specter truly meets its match. Moreover, the surprisingly touching coda celebrates the importance of mutual understanding and companionship without diminishing the value of a good scare. Johnston peppers the narration with irresistible onomatopoeias (“Clickety-click, clackety-clack”) and the dialogue with folksy, alliterative interjections (“Boogity-boo!” and “Skittle-skattle, skeleton!”), while Tomes‘s stark line and gloomy palette strike the perfect balance between grim fright and playful slapstick. #margottomes #tonyjohnston #soupbone #skeleton #halloween #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcover #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks