Every night for six nights, as a witch walks down the road, something lurks behind her in the shadows, and each night she scares it away. On Sunday night, when the witch reaches her house, she lets her follower come inside, revealing that the mysterious presence is only a black cat looking for a home. Attentive readers, however, will already have figured out the mystery from spotting the cat, Where’s Waldo-style, in each of award-winning artist Martin Springett’s illustrations. The Follower, a Halloween book that sets an appropriately spooky tone without being scary, will work well with a younger audience, particularly preschool to primary grades.

Writer Richard Thompson, who last collaborated with Springett on the Governor General’s Award nominee Who, aims in this Halloween book to keep a young audience engaged, using a varied vocabulary, imaginative metaphors, and a suitably creepy setting along with the requisite rhyme and rhythm. The concept and style are good, though some of the lengthier lines become cumbersome to repeat, especially as the list grows longer, making it harder to keep the momentum going. Springett’s illustrations can have a one-dimensional quality, particularly in the backgrounds, but his witch is dynamic, classically dressed in a flowing black cape and pointy hat, and the dusky tone of Springett’s palette heightens the book’s eerie ambience. Springett has worked closely with Thompson’s text so that the words and pictures match, and readers have much to look at while searching for the cat in each scene. The book design is also effective, with the outlines of bare branches framing each page, and the jacket is compellingly spooky. The Follower will be a welcome addition to classrooms and homes for the Halloween season.