Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1133492 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Amazon.com
One young Dracula is excited to go trick-or-treating (with his mom) in his family's apartment building on Halloween night. He visits Knicker Knocker on the second floor, who gives him candy bars, then Slipper Slopper on the third floor, whose treat is peanut cups. Wiggle Waggle on the fourth floor fills his bag with tangerine drops. The story continues in this vein until the young vampire visits the inhabitant of the 10th floor: Magic Merlin. But what's this? Magic Merlin has no treats, but a trick! He waves a magic wand and decrees everything to be "Wackbards!" As little Dracula works his way back down the apartment floors, everything is indeed backwards. Now, it's all tricks! Wiggle Waggle is Waggle Wiggle, and instead of tangerine drops, he offers whirling, twirling drangerine tops. Slipper Slopper is now Slopper Slipper and gives him a furry litter of ceanut pups instead of peanut cups. (One of the best and most interesting aspects of this book is illustrator Paul Meisel's wacky visual interpretations of these wackbards words.) Of course, by the time little Dracula gets home, the power of his daddy's hug breaks Merlin's spell and they "laughed and laughed" and "ate and ate." Part Halloween book, part goofy wordplay book, Bill Martin Jr., Michael Sampson, and Paul Meisel's Trick or Treat? is sure to please giggle-prone goblins with a penchant for beanut putter. (Ages 6 and older) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly
Counting and word games result when a trick-or-treater makes the rounds of his 10-story apartment building. On his way upstairs, the junior Dracula gets Licorice Twists, Chocolate Sticks and so forth, but, on the top floor, a gleeful neighbor in Merlin guise sends him "WackBards!" The boy proceeds in reverse, receiving Stocolate Chicks, Twicorice Lists, etc. Meisel (How to Talk to Your Cat) gamely draws a crateful of chicks, elaborately scrawled lists, etc., and Martin and Sampson's (previously teamed for I Pledge Allegiance, reviewed August 26) expertly cadenced inside-out wordplay could prove habit-forming. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-Martin and Sampson aim their book at children who enjoy hearing, or trying to get their own mouths around, silly words. Trick-or-treating in his apartment house with his mother in tow, a young "Dracula" collects treats on each floor, until a magician on the 10th hits him with a trick: "Now everything is WACKBARDS!" As the child makes all of his previous stops in reverse, instead of Jelly Beans, he gets a stream of "Belly Jeans": likewise, Chocolate Sticks change to "Stocolate Chicks," Caramel Pops to "Paramel Cops," and so on. Meisel keeps the tone light in his spacious, simply drawn cartoons, portraying everyone wearing maskless costumes and, generally, smiling as armies of little blue jeans, police officers, and other wacky offerings march into the lad's apparently bottomless sack. And, it takes only a paternal hug at the end to break the spell, leaving the diminutive Count and his parents happily contemplating a teetering mountain of sweets. Children will giggle, and salivate, too, at this sugary bit of Halloween foolery.
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Trick Or Treat
I read Trick or Treat
I thought it was a good book. It was good because it was funny. The kid went trick or treating and he got scared by a person on the tenth floor and everything turns wackbards and everybody tricks him. I recommend this book. This book is for ages 8-11.