Third Book on the Books... and it's a Halloween Surprise!

Hello, my name is Jackie Morreale and I am the host of Wisdom for Wannabes. Today I am tuning in with some very special news: It is October 31st, which means it is Halloween. Happy Halloween to everybody out there! It is also the last day of Dyslexia Awareness Month. That is why I have this extreme clash of an outfit on. We wear red in October. We also wear orange in October.

I want to share some great news. I have published my third book! 

My first two are Princess Tessa Meets Luc the Duke, and Princess Tessa & the New Look. Today I am publishing Princess Tessa & Luc the Duke: Trick or Tiara Halloween Surprise. This can be found on Amazon in paperback, soon to be hardcover and eBook.

I'm very excited to also say I have added a coloring activity book to the fun, so that little hands can also make the Halloween surprise reflect their own trick-or-treating experience.

This is my new Halloween surprise story, appropriate for ages three to eight, and their parents to read to them.

Without further ado... read-aloud storytime:

Princess Tessa and Luc the Duke: Trick or Tiara Halloween Surprise, written and illustrated by me, Jackie Morreale.

Dedication. To our Trick or Tiara friends and family from over the years who helped us make the best Halloween memories. Sending love. To the grandmothers, especially Nonna Maria and Glama Lorette, who always make the holidays more fun. October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. To all my superheroes out there, keep thinking big.

Page one, in Tessa's voice.

Halloween is my favorite time of year. Why? It is the creepiest and also the most fashionable time of year.

We dress up however we want to. We see all our friends. We walk through the neighborhood late at night. But the best part? The candy! Some houses in my neighborhood even give away full-sized candy bars!

But this year is different. My little brother, Luc the Duke, is one. Talking a little, walking, well, practically running most of the time.

He's ready for his first real Halloween to join us trick-or-treating, or how I prefer to call it, trick-or-tiaras.

I think and I think about what I want to be for Halloween this year. A puppy? Too silly. A ghost? Too scary. A pumpkin? Too babyish. An artist? Maybe.

Or just me, Princess Tessa, as a snow princess. I have all the sparkle I need and third time is a charm.

And for Luc, mom has the pumpkin suit.

"Not the pumpkin suit," I groan.

"You looked so cute in it when you were little," she says and smiles.

Poor Luc the Duke.

"Luc can be the pumpkin prince and you'll be the snow princess. Better together."

I am not so sure, but it does sound kind of cute. I like when my mom thinks like a royal.

At five o'clock, we meet our friends at the corner. It is a Halloween fashion show. The twins are dressed as love bugs. Rachel and Zoe are an angel and a devil. Michael is a superhero. Evan is a robot. Charlie is a cat and her big brother is a monster.

The pumpkin prince is riding in style.

A blow up dinosaur and a wolf in flip flops arrive.

"Roar, roar," says Luc the Duke.

"Roar, roar," echo the dads underneath. The Halloween fun has already begun.

Our parents (always) want pictures. Smiley ones, scary ones, silly ones. But we're a little distracted. So off we go. Mom and dad follow with a wagon in case any of the little kids get tired, of course.

House number one. We run to the door and knock. No one answers. Luc spots a candy basket. Take one or else, the sign says. We all take one apiece.

Luc the Duke tastes his very first chocolate bar. It's already the best day ever.

House number two, a cat lady. "How do you do? Take two," she says. Two nutty buddies each.

House number three, a skeleton man. "Look and see, take three," he says.

House number four, a ghost guards an enormous bucket. A sign says, "Take four, no more."

That's 10.

Then House number five, with the full-sized candies.

We ring the bell. A dim light flicks on. The door creaks open... and a queen appears, but not just any queen. She has fangs and nails and a crown bigger than mine! Plus, a whole tray of full-size candy bars.

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If you would like to hear what happens at house number five, six, and seven on Princess Tessa and Luc the Duke's Halloween Surprise adventure, check Amazon or make it your own with the new coloring book version.

I want to skip ahead and give you a sneak peek of the end of this story. There is a look and find, where you can go back through the book and answer questions with your little one as to how many pumpkins there were, how many times we saw the black cat, et cetera.

But what I really love is that there's a little bit of fun history added to this story,to those who might experience Day of the Dead in different parts of the world. This is new for this story and I'm excited to include: A Note from Nonna.

Princess Tessa and Luc the Duke's Nonna and Nonno (Grandma and Grandpa in Italian) come from Sicily, which is an island in southern Italy. While they didn't grow up trick or treating on Halloween like Tessa and Luc do, they would celebrate Il Giorno dei Morti, the Day of the Dead, every year on November 2nd.

The day is a celebration of the memory of family members who have passed away. Families gather over stories and of course delicious foods, especially sweets as gifts for children. including Pupi de Zucchero, which means sugar dolls, and Ossa di Morti, which means bones of the dead, which are cookies.

Thank you so much for your support. I'm very excited to share this new Halloween Surprise book with you all. Have a wonderful day, and Happy Halloween!
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