Only the most avid fans of Splat the Cat will cheer for this lift-the-flap Halloween story. Cats Splat and Spike and their mouse friend, Seymour, have finished trick-or-treating except for one last house. Splat thinks it looks too scary, and Spike may have agreed, but Seymour runs right up to the seemingly haunted place. Every page of this book except for the first has a flap that opens either right, left, up or down. Such interactive features usually add an entertaining, interactive element to a story. Unfortunately, these flaps seem arbitrary rather than carefully planned to present a surprise; they are also not easily designed for young hands to intuitively manipulate. The story, though slim, consists of the two cats' search for Seymour. As they go through the house, ghosts flit about, a spider casts a menacing shadow on the wall, and they come to a secret room full of vampire ducks. Odd sounds that gurgle, grumble, groan and "ker-klunk" add to the creepy gloom and grow increasingly louder. The reveal, however, is as anticlimactic as the flaps. Given Splat's popularity and the potential of a haunted house, this lackluster effort is a real disappointment. (Picture book. 3-6)

Splat and Spike have just one more house to hit up on Halloween night-the spooky one. Unfortunately, their mouse friend Seymour hightails it inside, leaving Splat and Spike to navigate the cobweb-strewn corridors of the old house. Large flaps on nearly every page lift to reveal the innocuous objects behind the scary-looking shapes and shadows as the two freaked-out kitties search for their errant friend. Though the three friends leave the house safe and sound (the ghosts and vampire ducks they do find basically leave them alone), Scotton provides just enough scares to keep readers on edge. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)