The Spooky Express: Vermont by Eric James and Marcin Piwowarski is an introduction to the state (in this one Vermont) and the monsters of Halloween. The kids hop on the train like The Polar Express and off they go. It is meant for the younger crowd, due to the innocence of the text of James and illustrations of Piwowarski. Each book in the series is in the rhyming text and format of The Night Before Christmas rhyme.
The overall look and idea of the book is simple as everything is pasted in to fit that state’s needs. And therefore, everything is not 100% “together” as there is a “map” at the top of one page that has two towns switching position. However, the story is fun. It is just a neat gift for the child who has visited the state or Grandma and Grandpa have in their home for the grandchildren’s enjoyment when they come to visit. Of course I would have liked more specifics to the places they visited and the state overall. They hit only on a few main places or points. This is due to the formula of just plugging in names/places to fit that particular need.
You can visit New York, North Carolina, Washington and more. Eric James has also created books for different holidays. A few of the books were even for specific large cities. Sadly, not everything is still in print, so pre-loved searches will have to do. Marcin Piwowarski is the illustrator for the others in this particular series.
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