The Sweet Hereafter Book and Movie

This book has become one of my favorites. I think of it often and, before I looked up the dates of my review, I thought I'd re-read it every two or three years. It's just that strong of a story that it really stuck with me.

I knew there was a movie but, not being a major movie person, I didn't feel inclined to watch it. However, I came across it during a random library database search and, given my recent "book to movie" posts, I decided to give it a try.

But since the book is always better than the movie, let's start off with my book reviews.

I first read it in 2011. I rated it four stars with this review: This is the story of a school bus crash in a small town. It's also told from multiple points of view, including the bus driver, the father of a dead child, one of the injured children, and an ambulance-chasing lawyer. Obviously this meant each character had an entirely different spin to put on the story. I really enjoyed this book because it was an interesting concept and was well-written, but my favorite part was the emotional factor. There wasn't really one. In most cases that would be something to complain about, but here it was imperative. How easy would it be to get swept up in the tragedy of losing so many school-aged children? The book could have been a big sob-fest, forcing sentimental mush on the reader. While the tragedy isn't glossed over, Banks gently turns our focus to how the town is coping.

Then I re-read it in 2021. That time, I kept it at four stars but added: I read this years ago, before I was a parent. It was still heart wrenching then, but reading it now, with lockdowns and school shootings and so much that can possibly impact your kid no matter how safe you keep them, it hits differently. I still love how Banks shows several distinct points of view and gives you no real resolution, just as would happen in the real world.

The movie... I always feel the need for a disclaimer. I'm not a movie person. I can't focus on movies. Part of the reason I love reading is because I can envision everything myself, and if I miss something, I can read back over the passage instead of rewinding and reorienting myself. And I can see all the praise for this movie on the cover and when I looked it up online. But it just wasn't for me. I felt such an emotional connection with the book, but the movie just felt scattered and distant. I watched the first twenty minutes half-convinced that the library had given me the wrong disc, despite one of the opening scenes being on both the cover of the movie AND my book! It just felt so random that I was disoriented and had to start the movie over again, forcing myself to pay attention.

I will also say that I haven't read the book in four years. I usually like to re-read a book before seeing the movie, but this one was a bit spur of the moment. So maybe if I'd recently read the book, the movie would have resonated more with me. Or maybe not! Maybe it's just me. But I still love the book and plan to re-read it again soon, especially with the weather getting cold.

Halloween Round-Up

I used to LOVE reading Halloween picture books and sharing them here and in storytimes and in videos, but that was almost a decade ago (what?!) and I was a completely different person. Now I'm the type of person to share a round-up post of Halloween books, so here we are! 

(I'm sure there are awesome Halloween picture books that have come out in the last few years so please share some recs in the comments!)

Trick Arrr Treat: a Pirate Halloween. 2015. Leslie Kimmelman, pictures by Jorge Monlongo. I’ve heard some people say that pirates are a trend in children’s literature that’s gone on a little too long, but they haven’t worn out their welcome with me! This book is especially enjoyable because it’s a realistic depiction of children going trick or treating on Halloween night. Picture books have the freedom of being far-fetched and imaginative, but that makes it all the more interesting to read a realistic Halloween book for kids. The rhymes in this book make it great to read aloud, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

It’s Raining Bats and Frogs. 2015. Written by Rebecca Colby, illustrated by Steven Henry. A young witch is trying to make sure the Halloween parade runs smoothly by casting spells to change the raindrops into other things. This is a silly story that you can make more engaging by letting the kids guess and identify the different items that start raining down on the parade.

Hedgehug’s Halloween. 2013. Created and illustrated by Dan Pinto, written by Benn Sutton. Hedgehug and his friends are going to a Halloween party, but Hedgehug can’t find a costume that fits his quills! This is a cute story of costume trials and errors. It’s fun to let your kids identify what costume Hedgehug tried and ruined, as well as ask them to guess what costumes would work well for a hedgehog!

Welcome to Monster Town. 2010. By Ryan Heshka. This book is better for older readers who can compare Monster Town’s “day” (which is night) to how we live. It’s also good for parents, with some clever jokes that might be over little kids’ heads. The illustrations are gorgeous, colorful, and enjoyable for all ages! It’s not too spooky, because though various ghouls, goblins, and monsters are depicted, they’re inviting and friendly, not gory or creepy.

The Spooky Wheels on the Bus by J. Elizabeth Mills, illustrated by Ben Mantle. This book is pretty simple because everyone knows "The Wheels on the Bus", but the spooky twist is really fun. Make sure your kids sing along with this new version! There's also a counting element to the song that makes it enjoyable as a book - you can point out and count spooky things in the illustrations.

Shivery Shades of Halloween: a Spooky Book of Colors by Mary McKenna Siddals, illustrated by Jimmy Pickering. Reviewed in this Halloween video.

Monster Trucks by Anika Denise, illustrated by Nate Wragg. This is a re-read for us, but it's been a favorite the past few weeks. This one will be reviewed in my Halloween spotlight post!

Hedgehog's Halloween by Benn Sutton and Dan Pinto. Cute book about Hedgehug's trouble finding the perfect costume. This book will be reviewed in more detail on my Halloween spotlight post!

Trick or Treat, Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Dan Hanna. We always look forward to Pout-Pout Fish books, but this one was a bit disappointing. The story was very short, and Pout-Pout was a minor character, so there wasn't too much recognition for younger kids. Kids who have loved all of Pout-Pout's books might like the inside jokes of finding hints of Pout-Pout in the pages, but there's not enough to really carry the story.

 The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky by Jory John and Pete Oswald. Who doesn't love the Bad Seed and his friends? In this book, he's grumpy that no costume seems to suit him. It's Halloween night and everyone else looks amazing, so he decides that he has to cancel the holiday. Everyone is so disappointed, but with a little help, the Bad Seed realizes that Halloween is a chance to have fun. Once he lets go of his bad mood, he's able to find the perfect costume. Can you guess what it is?

Pick a Pumpkin by Patricia Toht, illustrated by Jarvis. This fun picture book tells the story of Halloween traditions like visiting a pumpkin patch, carving a Jack-o-lantern, and trick-or-treating. The rhymes make the story nice to read aloud, and there are natural pauses built in where your kids can guess what comes next. The illustrations are gorgeous and depict diverse children.

Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex. This is a parody of Goodnight Moon, with a little monster boy saying goodnight to various creepy things around his tomb. I'm not a big fan of the original Goodnight Moon (I know, gasp! What kind of mother am I, etc) but I do like this version with monsters and creepy crawlies added in. I really like that Michael Rex has made the illustrations look classic, like they could have been the original illustrations.

The Runaway Mummy by Michael Rex. This is by far my favorite out of these parodies. I love The Runaway Bunny in its original form, so I was really looking forward to the spooky adaptation. A boy mummy is trying to leave his mummy behind by changing into a sea serpent, gargoyle, and more, but his mummy always changes into something else to be near him. This one has a really great twist ending that made me chuckle, making it my favorite of the parodies.

Mother Ghost: Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters by Rachel Kolar, illustrated by Roland Garrigue. I love creepy rhymes, and twists on Mother Goose rhymes are always engaging because most kids know what the original rhyme is, so they can appreciate the satire. My son and I read this all the way through, then talked about our favorites and went back to re-read them. I could see using these as quick breaks for use in the school library, though. They're fun to read aloud and can be shared without having all of the students sit and listen to an entire story. It'd be fun to recite them before and after books during the week leading up to Halloween.

Here are some Halloween storytime ideas. And check out more reviews in these videos:

Don't forget to share some recs in the comments!