Ann M. Martin

Happy Halloween

October 2002

Hi Readers!

It seemed as if school had only been open for a day or two when all the local merchants packed up their school supplies and put out their Halloween decorations. But I haven’t heard anyone complaining, because who wouldn’t want to be reminded of one of the best days of the year? From the candy, to the costumes, to trick-or-treating with friends, Halloween has everything a kid could want.

As soon as I saw the first pumpkin in a store window, I went home and called my favorite trick-or-treater, my four-and-a-half-year old nephew. Since I love to sew, I’ve been making his costumes since his very first Halloween when he greeted everyone in an teensy weensy tiger outfit. When he decided to be Bob the Builder this past Halloween, I made a red-and-yellow checked shirt to go along with his overalls, work boots, hard hat and tool belt. Please forgive my bragging (you can tell I’m a very proud aunt), but he was the cutest little construction worker I’ve ever seen!

This year he announced that he wants to be a dinosaur. However, he doesn’t want to be just any dinosaur, he wants to be a carnotaur! When my nephew talks about dinosaurs, I listen, because he knows his stuff. He can identify most dinosaurs just by looking at their bone structure and he loves going to the Museum of Natural History. (My sister says he’s like a little Ross Geller from the television show Friends!)

I went to the reference books and learned that a carnotaur had mottled brown and gray skin, with a double row of spines (these are similar to fins on a shark) on its back and horns on its head. My nephew requested a few variations, however. He wants the carnotaur’s body to be bright red with a white belly, and he wants the spines to be yellow! I chose a standard dinosaur pattern from my local sewing store, and I’ve been busy measuring, cutting, and piecing together all the various parts to have it ready in time for Halloween.

Sometimes I can’t believe how long it’s been since I was creating my own costumes. I still miss this, because trick-or-treating with my friends on Dodds Lane was one of my happiest childhood memories. But as an adult, I’ve had fun writing stories about Halloween parties and traditions in many of my books. And while I may not be ringing doorbells anymore, I’m thrilled to know that my nephew will be the most colorful, ferocious, adorable carnotaur ever!

Boo!

Love,
Ann