I am a huge fan of Scholastic books, and now I can share even more Scholastic classic stories with my kids through their Storybook Treasures DVD collections. We received A Very Brave Witch…and more Halloween stories from Scholastic to review, and it’s become one of Kaitlyn’s most-requested DVDs.

Despite the fact that five of the eight stories in this collection deal with the subject of witches, ghosts, and things that are spooky, Kaitlyn was not at all scared while watching. I’d say the scariest story is “A Dark Dark Tale”, which does build up a mild amount of tension before bursting it with a silly ending that invokes a smile. Watch this one with older kids.

Four of the stories are full animation, and four are still images with the camera moving and panning in and out. It doesn’t replace reading to your kids, but watching Scholastic DVDs does help with reading, since the dialogue for each story is shown on the screen in transparent letters that turn orange as each one is read. These are the eight episodes on this DVD:

The Very Brave Witch – Did you know witches are afraid of humans? Well, one very brave witch overcomes her fear when she sees human kids having fun trick or treating. Kaitlyn says it’s “funny”, and “not too spooky”.

By the Light of the Halloween Moon – What can you see by the light of the moon on Halloween? This poem will tell you, with each new line being added to the previous lines.

A Dark, Dark Tale – This one is kind of scary, it’s a “ghost” story you may have heard before. It’s a journey through a “dark, dark” hall, stairs, passage, room, curtain, etc., getting closer and closer to something, while a piano plays ominously. However the twist at the end relieves any fear that something truly scary is coming. Still, maybe not for the littlest viewers.

Georgie – I loved this book when I was little! Georgie is the ghost living with a family who lets them know it’s nighttime by pretending to haunt the house. What will Georgie do when he can’t make the stairs creak or the parlor door creak anymore?

The Witch in the Cherry Tree – A witch smells freshly baked cakes and flies in for a closer look, perching in the cherry tree. David knows he needs to protect the cakes from her.

The Three-Legged Cat – A three legged cat is mistaken for a hat in this funny story of mistaken identity.

The Three Robbers – Three scary robbers hijack carriages for gold and take it back to their hideout, until a little orphan girl shows them how they could spend the gold to help others. The narrator contributes his own sound effects.

Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain – Little Tim lives in a house by the sea and very much wants to be a sailor. His friend the boatman rows him out to meet a big ship, and Tim stows away.

A Very Brave Witch…and more Halloween stories is only $8.49 on Amazon.com which is a great deal! Pick it up for your Halloween DVD collection today!