You’ll never guess what I saw last night.

A witch flew across the moon.

And she laughed and sang on her old broomstick.

Because Halloween is coming soon.

Do you dare open the collection of twisted tales that inhabit The Halloween House? Will you stay for A Spooky Sleepover and meet characters like Manky Franky Twinkle Toes and Dr Sherbert Stink?

As the nights begin to whisper of Halloween, settle down, pull the covers tight and listen for the whistle of The Devil’s Locomotive, or the passing of The Phantom Highwayman as you read of the Witches’ Broomstick Race and learn the terrifying truth of Why the Scarecrow Smiles.

These and other stories add up to thirty-one poems crawling with nightly thrills for the ‘spooktacular’ month of October.

About the Author

Riley Cain was born in Ireland, so was already pretty cool before becoming a writer. More importantly a keen reader, Riley has a special love collecting classic ghost stories, only equalled by a fondness for watching old scary movies on Halloween – in the dark! It was these interests, combined with a passion for wacky words and ridiculous rhymes that led to the creation of Riley’s first collection of fun and frights for kids, The Halloween House.

Riley lives and works in Dublin and haunts the internet at www.rileycain.com

About the Illustrators

Phillip Cullen is a children’s book illustrator from Dublin. He loves to draw cute, weird and expressive characters. You can see more of his work at www.phildrawsthings.com or follow him on Instagram @phillip.cullen.

Katya Swan is an Irish illustrator. She believes in a world full of amazing and inspirational stories. You can find out more on her website www.katyaswan.com and instagram @katya_swan_illustrations.

Mark Joyce is from Connemara and has been drawing, painting and illustrating since he was a kid. He is best known for his book Mythical Irish Beasts and the upcoming Mythical Irish Wonders, both published by Currach Books. You can follow him on Instagram at @joycescraftshop.

Karen Nolan is an Irish illustrator who’s always in search of a challenge. Her favourite things to draw or paint are plants, animals and the wild outdoors. Visit www.mizzwinkens.com

Una Woods is an illustrator and author who lives in Dublin. She loves working with bright colours and patterns in her illustrations. Her work can be seen at www.unawoods.com

Robyn Conroy is an Irish illustrator and animation filmmaker. with a background in classical drawing, these days she works primarily in digital media. If you would like to see more of her work, follow her on instagram at @robynconroyart.

Marie O’Riordan is an Irish graphic designer and illustrator from Cork, currently based in Dublin. She loves to create fun and whimsical characters. Her favourite mediums are digital, acrylic paints, pen and ink. Check out her work on @marie_the_maker on Instagram.

Alba Esteban is a Spanish artist and designer who now lives in Dublin. She has channeled her passion for art and design into designing and illustrating books. For a closer look at her work, check her out on Instagram @alesturadesign

Alexis Sierra is a graphic designer and illustrator from Malaga, Spain. As an artist, he is influenced by the unique art of Japanese comics and fashion. His other passion is photography. For more of his work, visit his Instagram at @alexissierra82.

Bangers & Rocket by Mark Joyce

The Demon Bus Driver by Phillip Cullen

Manky Franky Twinkle Toes by Alba Esteban