A Gentle Halloween is brought to you by award-winning musician and author, Valerie Leonhart Smalkin (Gold Medalist in the 2014 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards for books with music, for "Springtime Dance," Small Kin Music 2014). Val was the lead writer, and one of the performers, and co-producers of the Emmy award winning television program "It's Kindertime" on ABC affiliate WMAR-TV 2, in Baltimore, Maryland. She composed and performed the musical version of Priscilla Cummings' International Literacy Award winning book, "Chadwick the Chesapeake Crab"; published "The Early Childhood Curriculum" with Karen Rupprecht; and composed "Babel: The Oratorio," "Signs: An Epiphany Musical," and "Darrell: The Draggin' Dragon." "A Gentle Halloween" is Val's gift to children who might be frightened by the rather odd holiday. The song "Halloween" deals with friends wearing masks and pretending to be frightening, while the last song on the CD, "Dark-Light," explains that light always comes after the darkness and takes fears away. In between your child will walk, jump, hop to the Haunted House; dance with skeletons, witches, pumpkins, and goblins; meet the ghost who's afraid of Halloween; and help one little ghost learn who to boo! Mark Stocker of 4:30 Studios says, "Valerie Leonhart Smalkin is a consummate musician and songwriter. " Val's artistic influences include Shari Lewis, Martha Raye, Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Burnett, Oscar Peterson, Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, Della Reese, Jay Leonhart, and Patti Page! Treat your children to thoughtful, original, fun, and fresh quality music with a purpose!