Over in the Hollow

by

Rebecca Dickinson

illustrated by

S.britt

For my mother, who shared with me her love of reading and the lovely sound of words strung together “just so.”—R. D.

For Andrea and Sara. Without you, the Hollow would be empty.—S.b.

Over in the Hollow

Over in the hollow, where the cobwebs are spun, live a giant mother spider and her little spidey one.

“SPIN,” hums the mother.

“I SPIN,” hums the one.

So they spin silver lace where the cobwebs are spun.

Over in the hollow, wrapped in old sheets and glue, live an old, moldy mummy and his little mummies two.

“LURCH!” moans the mummy.

“WE LURCH!” moan the two.

And they lurch into the mist, wrapped in old sheets and glue.

Over in the hollow, in a twisted, tangled tree, live a spooky mama owl and her little owlets three.

“WHOO,” hoots the mama.

“WE WHOO!” hoot the three.

So they whooooo and they hoot in their twisted, tangled tree.

Over in the hollow, in a coffin on the floor, live a pale grandpa vampire and his little vampies four.

“BItE!” groans the grandpa.

“WE BItE!” groan the four.

So they nibble and they bite in their coffin on the floor.

Over in the hollow, where the bats dip and dive, live a furry grandma bat and her little batties five.

“FLAP!” squeaks the grandma.

“WE FLAP!” squeak the five.

So they flap and they flutter where the bats dip and dive.

Over in the hollow, on their magic broomsticks, fly a good auntie witch and her little witchies six.

“ZOOM!” cries the auntie.

“we Zoom!” cry the six.

So they zoom through the night on their magic broomsticks.

Over in the hollow, a swingin’ and a steppin’, live a daddy Frankenstein and his little Frankies seven.

“STOMP!” shouts the daddy.

“WE STOMP!” shout the seven.

So they stomp and they clomp, a swingin’ and a steppin’.

Over in the hollow, through the creaky graveyard gate, prowl a hairy uncle werewolf and his little wolfies eight.

“HOWL!” growls the uncle.

“WE HOWL!” growl the eight.

So they howl and they prowl through the creaky graveyard gate.

Over in the hollow, ‘neath the blue moonshine, sit a papa jack-o’-lantern and his little pumpkins nine.

“GLOW,” whispers the papa.

“WE GLOW,” whisper the nine.

So they glimmer and they glow ‘neath the blue moonshine.

Over in the hollow, in a mossy green glen, live a two-headed monster and his little monsters ten.

“Eek!” shrieks the papa.

“WE EEk!” shriek the ten.

So they eeeeek and they shrieeeeek in the mossy green glen.

Over in the hollow, ‘neath the dark, starry heavens, shake a singin’ skeleton and his little bones eleven.

“Boogie!” sings the papa.

“WE Boogie!” sing the eleven.

So they boogie and they woogie ‘neath the dark, starry heavens.

Over in the hollow, where the rats dig and delve, slink a spooky black cat and her little kitties twelve.

“Hiss!” yowls the mother.

“We HISSSSS!” yowl the twelve.

So they hiss and they hunt where the rats dig and delve.

Over in the hollow, through the eerie, moonlit scene, glide a phantom mama ghost and her little ghosts thirteen.

“Boo!” wails the mother.

“We BOOOO!” wail the thirteen.

And they float over the hollow through the velvet night, unseen.

About the Author

Rebecca Dickinson lives and works…over near Seattle, where the rain falls damp and wet, in an old spooky house, with three children and her pets. She loves to draw and write about fun and creepy creatures, because, of course, Halloween is her very favorite holiday. This is her fifth book.

S.britt dreams of one day retiring in Transylvania and opening a flight school for bats. When he’s not drawing, he enjoys bicycling, traveling, and sleeping in the cozy confines of his creaky coffin. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Copyright

Text © 2009 by Rebecca Dickinson.

Illustrations © 2009 by Stephan Britt.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dickinson, Rebecca.

Over in the hollow / by Rebecca Dickinson ; illustrated by S. britt.

p. cm.

Summary: A counting book that features a variety of spooky Halloween creatures, from one spider to thirteen ghosts.

eISBN: 978-0-8118-5035-3

[1. Stories in rhyme. 2. Monsters—Fiction. 3. Halloween—Fiction. 4. Counting.] I. Britt, Stephan, ill. II. Title.

PZ8.3.D5535Ov 2009

[E]—dc22

2009000955

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Conforms to CPSIA 2008.

Chronicle Books LLC

680 Second Street, San Francisco,

California 94107

www.chroniclekids.com

Table of Contents

Cover Page

Title Page

Dedication

Over in the Hallow

About the Author

Copyright