Jerome the Alligator returns in this second picture book devoted to his adventures, following upon Jerome the Babysitter, once again determined to make a go of his babysitting. Although it is Halloween night, Jerome is busy working on posters advertising his services, and is not tempted in the slightest by his sister Winifred and her friend Lulu's advice that he come trick-or-treating. When he receives a message instructing him to go to the old yellow house on the edge of the swamp, in order to babysit Mrs. Witchcraft's two children, he is somewhat puzzled, as he thought the house deserted, but sets out regardless. What follows is the creepiest babysitting job ever, watching over the witchy Lucy and Lucifer, while keeping a mindful ear on the ghost upstairs. But is all as it seems...?

The answer to that should be obvious to attentive readers, both from Winifred's suspicious behavior just before leaving the house, and by some of the sly looks exchanged by Lucy and Lucifer in the illustrations, but the story in Jerome and the Witchcraft Kids is entertaining, for all that. Between the spooky shenanigans that go on in the yellow house, and the eventual reveal that it is all a prank being played by Winifred, Lulu and Lulu's siblings, not to mention the colorful, expressive artwork, this would make a good selection for a Halloween story-hour. Although slightly disappointed to find that the witchy content wasn't what I expected—in truth, I sought this book and its predecessor out precisely because of the witchy content—I still enjoyed the visuals of little alligators in witch gear. This is one I would recommend to picture book readers looking for Halloween stories that are one part scary and one part funny. Those who, like me, prefer their witches to be real, are also recommended to seek out Byron Barton's Hester, the story of another alligator at Halloween time. ( )