Here's an enticing witches' brew of delightfully spooky, and not-so-spooky, tales for Halloween.

"Disney Scary Storybook Collection" from Disney Press; 305 pages; $15.99.

Want a fun way to ease your young child into slightly spookier fare? This big, zesty Disney collection fits the Halloween season bill. Starring beloved characters from fabled Disney kid flicks, such as Mater the dump truck, Dumbo the elephant, Jack-Jack the "Incredibles" baby and "Toy Story's" Woody, this glossy purple volume offers 18 easy-to-read stories that are the perfect length for bedtime enjoyment.

It's simple to love Disney's gleeful sense of humor when reading about Peter Pan chasing Captain Hook's shadow, or when a pink witch turns Donald Duck into a watermelon. Gentle yet bursting with laughs and slight references to pumpkins, skeletons and "ghost lights," Disney's treasury of tales includes 200 stickers as an extra bonus.

"Vunce Upon a Time" by J. Otto Seibold and Siobhan Vivian; Chronicle Books; 32 pages; $16.99.

The creator of the beloved "Olive, the Other Reindeer" as well as my favorite "Mr. Lunch" books introduces another shy, lovable character. This time he's a vampire named Dagmar, who's afraid of humans and a vegetarian with an intense love of candy. When the adorable Dagmar, who looks a lot like Eddie from "The Munsters," hears about all the treats he can get on Halloween, he ventures into the human world. After Dagmar trick or treats sufficiently, he's frightened by a ghost who reveals (gasp!) she's really a little girl. Never fear, though, as the two become friends. Dagmar then returns home to his coffin to dream about next Halloween.

Superbly illustrated with Seibold's wacky craziness, "Vunce Upon a Time" also teaches a heartwarming lesson about accepting others as they are.

"I'm Looking for a Monster!" by Timothy Young; Random House; 14 pages; $9.99.

Appealingly retro — with a three-color scheme of black, white and a different vivid shade on each page spread — Young's little pop-up book introduces a boy searching for the perfect monster. As readers pull tabs to reveal monsters too big, too small, too scary and too slimy, they'll cheer on the boy, who eventually finds a furry bearlike pal with horns to take home.

Unique and sturdy, "I'm Looking for a Monster!" is a fun introduction to innocuous beasts. Tots will especially have fun turning a wheel to make one deerlike monster's antlers grow.

"Babymouse: Monster Mash" by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm; Random House; 92 pages; $5.99.

Little girls love the Babymouse series, which is designed with a graphic novel layout yet simple enough for emerging readers. In this ninth entry, Babymouse, a girl mouse who's entirely childlike, tries to avoid being girlish on Halloween; she is in favor of appearing scary, and imagines her upcoming holiday bash with a fog machine, bouncer and even real mummies.

Seasonally on target with black, white and orange illustrations, the Holms' latest little tale is a spunky fest of hilarity that perfectly captures the imaginations of little mice, or girls.

"Meet the Kreeps" by Kiki Thorpe; Scholastic; 94 pages; $4.99.

Two books in one, this series opener, for ages 9 to 12, presents book No. 1 — "There Goes the Neighborhood," and No. 2 — "The New Step-Mummy." Both stories welcome new additions to the funny/scary genre kids love.

Readers will meet a new heroine, Polly Winkler, who's the only member of her family to see how weird the new neighbors, the Kreeps, act. Mrs. Kreep dresses like a witch and grows Venus flytraps, while her children have spiders for pets and play in a mad-scientist lab.

Before long, the Winklers are great friends with the Kreeps. The strange adventures grow, as will the affection middle-grade readers will have for this lively new series.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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