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SCAVENGER THE KITTY WITH HER FAVORITE HALLOWEEN BOOK

THE HAUNTED SCAVENGER HUNT

“A delightfully spooky and funny Halloween story about curiosity and adventure, suitable for young readers.”

Available online at: Target , Amazon, Walmart, Penguin Random House and Barns & Noble 

Rave Reviews of THE HAUNTED SCAVENGER HUNT:

“Patschke and Garrigue amusingly exploit the allure of don’t for kids in this picture book—and what better day to do so than on Halloween? Sammy, Jenny, Sara, and Pete succumb to temptation when they stumble upon a box labeled “DON’T LOOK AT IT! DON’T TOUCH IT! DON’T OPEN IT!” Ignoring the exhortation kicks off an adventure fraught with eerie atmosphere and further irresistible warnings (“So what did the friends do?” becomes the story’s refrain). The messages eventually lead the group into “a spooky old house” where, one by one, they vanish, leaving only Sara in front of an ominous cellar door… with a surprise on the other side. Digital illustrations playfully evoke classic horror elements—ominous uplighting of faces, big shadows, eerie mists—in this likably tense tale. Characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 3–7.” (July) PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“This humorous Halloween page-turning story begs to be read aloud again and again.” 3 STARS- GOODREADS

More Great Books by Steve Patschke

Don’t Look At It, Don’t Touch It, UK version (Templar Books 2021) Translated into French, Italian, English, Portuguese and Greek.

DON’T LOOK AT IT, DON’T TOUCH IT, (1999 Orginal Version, Troll Pub.)

THE SPOOKY BOOK

Reviews of “THE SPOOKY BOOK” by Steve Patschke (WALKER BOOKS 1999)

Editorial Reviews

 The Boston Globe

Steve Patschke and Matt McElligott, author and illustrator of The Spooky Book, have come up with an enigmatic story-within-a-story that tweaks the imagination. When two children in different locations begin reading “The Spooky Book,” each child hears thunder rumble and sees flashes of lightning. Shapes of goblins appear. As they proceed through the book, the children take different courses of action and move toward an unexpected and ultimately satisfying conclusion.

Booklist
In this wonderfully creative story, a boy named Andrew and a girl named Zo Zo each sit alone in their separate houses reading a scary book. Meanwhile, as they read, the children actually experience the frightening scenarios depicted in their eerie books. The well-crafted plot is beautifully complemented by McElligott’s dramatic watercolor illustrations, which make wonderful use of shadows and warped perspectives to create ominous scenes. Sufficiently scary for older kids, yet mild enough for younger children to enjoy.

BALTIMORE SUN

October 25, 2000 -An unusual book binds two children together in a suspenseful mystery.

Publisher’s Weekly– In this Hitchcockian thriller-within-a-thriller, “Andrew shook as he opened the cover of a spooky book.” The sepia pages show a girl opening the same tome. Odd coincidences continue. If lightning startles the girl, a flash startles Andrew. Stranger still, they both scan the mirror image of this very volume. McElligott (The Truth About Cousin Ernie’s Head) strategically uses color to signal scene changes, and his perspectives are agreeably vertiginous. Patschke (Don’t Look at It! Don’t Touch It!) unforgivably rhymes “spooky” with “droopy” and “a bat flying kooky” but otherwise his meta-book stimulates the mind

-The Spoken Arts video of “The Spooky Book”

The “Spooky Book” received a starred review from Booklinks magazine and was also turned into a video by the “Spoken Arts” company. The Spoken Arts video received an award as one of the top twenty-five children’s videos of that year, which made Steve Patschke and his many young readers very happy.

Preview on Youtube: https://youtu.be/txoH0igT_5g

THE NUTCRACKER: RETOLD BY STEVE PATSCHKE

An Amazon U.K. NUMBER ONE BEST SELLER AND NUMBER ONE GIFT PURCHASE FOR DECEMBER 2023

ORDER NOW ON AMAZON U.K. AT: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nutcracker-Enchanting-Pop-up-Classic-Fairytales/dp/1800783612

VOTED AMAZON U.K. BEST SELLING POP-UP BOOK CHRISTMAS 2023

Review

Lovely intricate artwork make this book one to treasure for years to come. Would make a special gift. ― The Green Parent

Magic is the keyword for Hoffmann’s much-loved Christmas-themed tale of defiance, loyalty and wonder as Steve Patschke’s clever adaptation, Zanna Goldhawk’s richly coloured artwork and each fabulously engineered pop-up make every page an exciting adventure! ― Lancashire Evening Post

A classic brought to life in this gorgeous pop-up book. — Zoe West ― Woman’s Weekly

sparkling adaptation. This stunningly illustrated pop-up book retelling of that memorable yet always intriguing story is the perfect contender to be that adaptation for generations to come. In a whirlwind of fantasy, The Nutcracker’s miraculous tale is told with a grand pop-up image on each page. These are created expertly by Zanna Goldhawk not only to showcase a warm and sophisticated yet whimsical colour palette featuring deep greens and blues, but equally to create a full and sensory learning experience. — Gemma McLaughlin ― The National

FROM THE NATIONAL IN SCOTLAND: A REVIEW OF STEVE PATSCHKE’S RETELLING OF THE NUTCRACKER, 2024:

Classic retelling proves to be pop-up perfection

The writing in this short series of adventures is a masterclass in the formation of that indescribable magic held dear by children – though if anyone in this world could describe it, one would walk away from this iteration certain that person would be Steve Patschke.

The engagement with the senses of Goldhawk’s illustrations is solidified by every world-building sentence, from the work of dreams such as a mouth-wateringly unforgettable description of a village made of sweets to the mundane yet extraordinary twinkling of a lovingly decorated Christmas tree.

Alongside the use of a mixture of accessible and lightly challenging vocabulary, every fun and bright detail of this book strives never to lose the push to interest and education or the sense of fun and whimsy. In the very best of children’s books, the two cannot exist without one another, and what young people are most excited to see, read about, or even touch in the case of this pop-up book format, are the very best things to show them.

There are few better choices than this fresh honoring of ETA Hoffmann’s great story

Upcoming from Steve

^{THE WALKING BREAD:} Ten-year-old Ziggy has accidentally unleashed a doughy, chomping horde of bite-sized zombies into the family bakery. Look out, world—it’s the Walking Bread-apocalypse!

Ziggy Doughlan is terrified of practically everything in his new home. To prove he’s brave, and as good a baker as his parents, he sneaks into the spooky basement bakery at midnight. Like a mad scientist gone a-rye, he creates a batch of walking bread with glowing pickle-slice eyes and sharp pumpkin-seed teeth. The gluten goblins ransack the bakery and threaten to turn his entire family into the un-bread.

Ten-year-old Ziggy has accidentally unleashed a doughy, chomping horde of bite-sized zombies into the family bakery. Look out, world—it’s the Walking Bread-apocalypse!

Ziggy Doughlan is terrified of practically everything in his new home. To prove he’s brave, and as good a baker as his parents, he sneaks into the spooky basement bakery at midnight. Like a mad scientist gone a-rye, he creates a batch of walking bread with glowing pickle-slice eyes and sharp pumpkin-seed teeth. The gluten goblins ransack the bakery and threaten to turn his entire family into the un-bread.

UPCOMING FROM STEVE”

ALIEN SHIPWRECK-– ages 9-12-

Stranded on a deserted island, an angry teenage castaway and a wounded alien fugitive must forge an impossible friendship to survive not only the island’s perils, but the approaching evil alien fleet that aims to enslave Earth.

THE EVIL ANNAKIE AND DOT

You can now read the funny story of Max my cat (featured on this website!) and Dino my dog and how the two have become friends after a short period of adjustment. The story is entitled “Attack Of The Closet Cat People.”

Max

Dino

THE NEW YORK TIMES! Read this great article I published n the New York Times about love and family at Thanksgiving!

AUTHOR VISITS: The author Steve Patschke is currently available for panel discussions, workshops, or to present the full reading program described below.

Program Title: Going on a Haunted Scavenger Hunt!
Designed for children ages 4–8, this interactive, spooky-fun storytime brings Halloween to life through storytelling, movement, and hands-on creativity.

Program Highlights: The Mysterious Black Box: Introduced before the story, this spooky box sparks curiosity—kids discover Haunted Scavenger Hunt bookmarks inside after the reading.

• Ghostly Scavenger Adventure Game: A playful movement activity inspired by Going on a Bear Hunt, we reimagined as a haunted scavenger quest.
• Dramatic Read-Aloud: A lively reading of The Haunted Scavenger Hunt, a Halloween tale filled with suspense fun.
• Creative Activities & Book Signing: Children color a themed drawing, explore the box, and chat with the author before a casual Q&A and book signing.

Perfect for libraries, schools, books

Here is a great essay printed in “Good Old Days,” national magazine about my father

Check out my reviews of my favorite picture books on Steves Shepard.com reviews of “The Best Funny Picture Books Kids Will sit Still for. https://shepherd.com/best-books/funny-picture-reads-kids-will-sit-still-for

Don’t Look At It, Don’t Touch It!

DO YOU LIKE FUNNY PICTURE BOOKS AT ARE A BIT SCARY! THEN TRY:

from Templar Books (2021 version)

NOW AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH, PORTUGUESE AND GREEK.

When four children find a box which reads ‘Don’t look at it, don’t touch it, don’t open it!’, what do you think they do? A Halloween-themed title with text that is screaming to be read aloud, this picture book is reminiscent of bestseller Funnybones in its repetition, with suspense-building, page-turning humor throughout. With scary, yet funny text, by author Steve Patschke and fun, vibrant, nostalgic artwork by the highly acclaimed artist Roland Garrigue- this intriguing picture book is sure to becomes a classic in its own right – one that can be read time and time again.

“Don’t Look At It, Don’t Touch It,” is available in the U.K., France, The Netherlands, South Africa, and coming soon to Italy, through Templar Publishing.

Scavenger the cat with her favorite book