Joseph and the Little Overcoat, by Simms Tabeck

Synopsis: When Joseph's favorite overcoat gets old and worn, he makes a jacket out of it. When the jacket is more patches than jacket, Joseph turns it into a vest. When the vest's number is up, Joseph makes a scarf. This thrifty industry continues until there's nothing left of the original garment. But clever Joseph manages to make something out of nothing!

Babar and the Scary Day, text by Ellen Weiss, characters by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff

Synopsis: Pom and Isabelle can't figure out what the spooky noise coming from the attic is. It's a creepy, eerie, THUMP-drag, THUMP-drag-rattle. There's only one conclusion: it's a monster! Soon all of Babar's children are fleeing from the sound, only to soon realize that the monster is really Babar, dragging out the recyclables! This is a fun book not just for Halloween but year round, as an introduction for preschoolers to the legendary Babar.

Activity: Chat with kids about superheroes and monsters. Kids given sheet of speech bubbles and onomatopoeia. Kids read the "sounds" and discuss what things make those sounds. Turn an A4 sheet of paper into a 4-page comic book. Write and illustrate a superhero comic or other story, adding cut out speech bubbles and sounds.