Happy Halloween! You'll recognize the following, from "Macbeth." We're planning for soda instead of hell-broth tonight, but only because we weren't sure where to find a fenny snake.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
More Halloween tricks and treats:
Kelly Link, who's written some otherworldly tales in her day, recommends some scary short stories at About Last Night. Link's latest is the young-adult book Pretty Monsters.
Junior, who flew off to school wearing a ghoul costume, is currently relishing the book Revenge of the Living Dummy, from Goosebumps' new Horrorland series. Unlike his parents, he is not an NPR news fan ("Can we please listen to some music?"), but if he were, he could have heard Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine talking to Lynn Neary on "Morning Edition."
My friend Suzanne Urban and the rest of the Eclectic Halloween Artist Group are hosting an art giveaway at their blog.
In the Not Halloween But Diwali department, Literary Safari offers a handy list of good Diwali books for children. Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights; it was on October 28th this year.
Today's Poetry Friday roundup takes place at Poetry for Children.
Happy Halloween to you, Susan, and to all the people who read your wonderful blog.
Posted by: NT | October 31, 2008 at 06:38 PM
Love the classic Macbeth witchy words! Thanks for participating in Poetry Friday at PoetryforChildren this Halloween! Great to connect with you again. Stop by any time...
Sylvia
Posted by: Sylvia | October 31, 2008 at 11:35 PM
I think you're selling Junior short on the fenny snake! Give him an afternoon in the woods and he'd have one for you!
Posted by: Mary Lee | November 02, 2008 at 06:45 AM
Why, thank you, NT. Happy post-Halloween to you, too.
Sylvia, it's always a pleasure to visit your blog. Happy November!
You're so right, Mary Lee. If anyone is up to the task, Junior is.
Posted by: Susan (Chicken Spaghetti) | November 02, 2008 at 12:02 PM
How funny--Lucas is also reading Night of the Living Dummy. He's very into Goosebumps this last month or so.
Posted by: adrienne | November 03, 2008 at 02:05 PM
A friend gave Jr. the book for his birthday. He's read it twice. I think Goosebumps is big in fourth grade.
Posted by: Susan (Chicken Spaghetti) | November 04, 2008 at 10:20 AM