Guess What? by Mem Fox illustrated by Vivienne Goodman

Far away from here lives a crazy lady called Daisy O'Grady. 

Is she tall and thin? 

Guess!

Yes! 

Does she wear a long black dress?

Guess!

Yes!

The illustrations in this picture book are really incredible - weird and quite scary. I would suggest this is a book for readers aged 10+ but I imagine Mem Fox had a younger audience in mind. The design of each page with tiny spotlight illustrations that anticipate the image on the next page give this book a layer of interaction and so I think this book works best when it is read slowly side by side with your young or slightly older reading companion. Then turn to the back to see the list of all the things you might like to spot such as a mandrill, a piranha, a chocolate doughnut, a banana and tawny frogmouth (bird).

Mem Fox said: When you see the astonishing illustrations in this book (I kiss the feet of Vivienne Goodman) you’ll realise why it took almost five years for it to be completed, in spite of the sparseness of my very simple text. There are many hidden bits of hilarious detail that are so clever I asked the Australian publishers, Omnibus, to put a guide to them in the back of the most recent edition (2008).

The pictures are very Australian: the isolated, ramshackle farmhouse amongst brown bushes, the outhouse with graffiti and recognizable product labels such as Vegemite and Defender. ...It is by looking at the illustrations carefully that adults and older children will pick up some of the humour and reality of the book. For instance, a glance at her kitchen shows familiar packets of flour, tomato sauce, baked beans and spices. Reading labels will give a very different view of her cooking! As will a careful inspection of her recipe bookshelf. Aussie Reviews

I do think Halloween is an odd event here in Australia. It is the wrong season and we have no cultural heritage around this event. It is also strange to see how the event seems to grow bigger each year with more and more 'things' available in various stores from pumpkins to costumes, from bags of sweets to decorations. Having said all of that, though, Guess What (1988) would be a perfect book to share in your family tonight. This book is sure to be in many school and public libraries. It was republished in 2008. And this book has been banned in some US States!

It is fairly easy to find picture books about Halloween. This alternate list might interest you. My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a Pinterest collection of Halloween chapter books for readers aged 5-8.

I would pair Guess what with Meannie and the Min Min.