Eighteen poems from various authors are presented by editor and contributor Myra Cohn Livingston in this Halloween collection, and paired with the eerie illustrations of Stephen Gammell. Witches, jack-o-lanterns, trick-or-treating, an oblique treatment of the gingerbread house from Hansel and Gretel (this by Jane Yolen) - all these and other subjects are explored in the selections here, whose style varies as much as the subject matter. The Acknowledgements page at the rear of the book indicates that while some of the poems were taken from existing publications, a number of them were commissioned especially for this book...

Originally published in 1989, and now out of print, Halloween Poems is a title I stumbled across by accident, while searching for an entirely different book for the season. Having greatly enjoyed Stephen Gammell's deliciously creepy illustrations in Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (and sequels), I was immediately drawn to the cover image, and decided to give this book a try, on the basis of the artwork alone. I was certainly not disappointed in the visuals here, finding them wonderfully spooky, with that surreal grotesquerie that I have come to associate with Gammell's work in this vein. The poems themselves were a mixed bag, some enjoyable, some leaving me indifferent. My favorites were Pumpkin People by John Ridland, about the fairy-like beings which inhabit the inside of a jack-o-lantern for the season, and Incident on Beggar's Night by J. Patrick Lewis, about a little girl who dresses herself in witch's garb, and sails off into the night. Recommended to young readers looking for Halloween poetry, as well as to fans of Gammell's wonderful (but very disturbing) artwork. ( )

This book contains many different types of poems which are themed for Halloween. They are about many different things, such as witches, trick-or-treating, a haunted house, pumpkins, ghosts, and costumes. ( )