Review: Making Halloween Fun and Safe the Kerrie Way
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 14, 2013
Kerrie McLoughlin is a mom. First and foremost she loves being a parent and this little book shows some of the excitement she brings to that privilege. Now that Halloween has taken on such importance with kids - lasting for weeks before to the final pumpkin pie afterward the holiday -  there are more opportunities to have children (and accompanying adults!) be creative and fashion a Halloween that will be different each year.Kerrie starts with the idea of how to approach the old idea of a jack-o-lantern , replacing that always threatening knife carving tension with the use of marker pens, drawing, Mr. Potato Head pieces, painting etc. The she moves along to costumes with originality and not with the expensive outfits that deplete the bank and fill the landfill. It is about recycling and swapping costumes (she explains how to find shops that participate) or using dress-up costumes that lie dormant around the house.Some tricks for Trick-or-Treating are wise - the use of LED flashlights, pillowcases for collection bags, using useful or recyclable treats like crayons, bookmarks, seed packets. Decorate with ingenuity and let the kids make the choices out of `ideas' you supply, create party food out of pumpkin ideas (orange can include carrots, orange slices), sugar cookies in fun shapes, and so forth. Kerrie's motto is to `Keep it Green' - and that is a fun and healthy way to enjoy the holiday.One of the aspects of this book (this part is for parents or care givers) is how to deal with Halloween Haters - a list of ideas for managing those people who frighten children not in the spirit of the evening but with the `ominous threats' of being aware of strangers, `Halloween is not in keeping with religion',  Weather haters (don't allow trick or treating on a cold night), Sugar is Bad Haters, and so on.Kerrie share 10 fun Halloween Traditions to start with your kids - but listing those would prevent the reader for purchasing this very fine book. She finishes off her illustrated book with notes about adult costumes, pumpkin pancakes recipes, and a big general `Hail Fellow Well Met' salute to her favorite Halloween celebrations. This book is full of fun - not only for kids, but also for parents who want to feel more fully involved with their children's lives and futures. Grady Harp September 13