Children's Lit Titles in Latin (10): Halloween Quiz

Answer: Et Tum Venit Vesper Omnium Sanctorum

"Et Tum Venit" means "And Then Comes..." and for the event "Halloween" we can create a new compound word for it instead of treating it like a proper name. "Vesper Omnium Sanctorum" is a direct historical meaning of "All Hallows' Eve" aka, "the Eve of All Saints." "Vesper" meaning "evening" or "eventide," is a classical word for "Eve." "Omnium Sanctorum" means "of All the Saints," a direct translation of "All Hallows'" since "hallow" means in this instance a saint or holy person.

Tom Brenner's 2009 children's collage-style picture book children's picture book depicts the anticipation, traditions, and preparation of an upcoming Halloween from a child's point of view. The book traces the changing signs of autumn-leaves turning colors, and pumpkins in stores. Then the preparing of costumes, creating decorations, carving the pumpkin, and eventually the trick-or-treating with friends. and finally celebrating the candy-laden, festive night itself.

Answer: Optima Vesperis Omnium Sanctorum Omnis Aevi

Optima is the feminine singular form of the superlative adjective "best", agreeing with the feminine noun "Vesperis" (Eve). Halloween is our compound "Vesperis Omnium Sanctorum", and we're using "Vesperis" (the genitive case instead of nominative) as opposed to "Vesper" because "Halloween" is describing the noun "night"; in other words, we're not saying "The Best Night is All Hallows' Eve"-we're saying "The Best Night of All Hallows' Eve." And Omni Aevi specifies that it's "In/For/Throughout every age" expressing the entire scope of time.

The book is Barbara Robinson's sequel to "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" following the notorious prankster Herdman children once again, causing enough havoc to make the Mayor of their Ohio town cancel trick-or-treating, and schedule a boring uneventful party instead. Will the Herdman siblings turn the tables though and turn it into the best Halloween ever?

Answer: Vesper Omnium Sanctorum Ranunculi

The best choice for "Froggy" is using the diminutive form of "Ranunculus" (masculine), which would be Ranunculi "a little frog", the genitive case showing possession. And the compound for Halloween: Vesper Omnium Sanctorum.

"Froggy's Halloween" (1999) by Jonathan London, with illustrations by Frank Remkiewicz, is just one of over 30 Froggy books in the series. Froggy first can't decide what costume he wants to wear, finally picking the Frog Prince outfit. While out trick or treating he suffers a mishap, losing his candy, but by the end his mother has made sure he had a satisfying holiday.

Answer: Puer Vesper Omnium Sanctorum

The best Latin equivalent for "The Kid" is "Puer" which conveys a youth with a heroic or informal tone, like "kid" in English, and this sense fits the nature of the book's character who is a hero. Other choices like "Iuvenis" meaning "young man" would convey too old a character.

And indeed the "Puer Puer Vesper Omnium Sanctorum" aka "The Halloween Kid" is a Halloween hero who protects the holiday from mischievous creatures who would seek to ruin the fun of Halloween for children. Author Rhode Montijo's protagonist flies around on a hobby horse staving off the pranks from pumpkin sucking vampires, mummies that toss rolls of toilet tissue, and ghosts of the leaf piles.

Answer: Luna Vesper Omnium Sanctorum

Luna means "moon" in Latin, a simple and classical term, and Vesper Omnium Sanctorum is Latin for "All Hallow's Eve" aka Halloween.

In "The Halloween Moon", by Joseph Fink, a young girl named Esther Gold loves Halloween so much and wants to go trick-or-treating one last time despite her parents thinking she's too old for it. But a creepy thing happens-her town has fallen under some eerie spell on Halloween night. No one answers their doors and moon is an unusual orange color. There is a curse on the town and Esther teams up with a small motley group to lift it.

Answer: Nox Vesper Omnium Sanctorum

"Nox" is a direct Latin translation for "night", and "Halloween" can be broken down to be "Vesper Omnium Sanctorum" in Latin ("All Hallow's Eve").

Author Marjorie Dennis Murray has taken the famous poem "Night Before Christmas" and written book as a poem that mimics that Christmas poem with a Halloween theme. It has a variety of hideous creatures assembled for a Halloween party; they're so scary that when trick-or-treaters come to the door they scream and run away when the door is opened for them.

Answer: Laetus et Nefarius Vesper Omnium Sanctorum Contubernii Tredicem

The contrast is now between a sacred occasion and a profane one. "Laetus" can be used for "Happy" in this description of a "Joyful" celebration, while "Nefarius" meaning "Wicked" implies a desecration of the event, so it makes a good Latin word for "Heinous" here. That event of course is "Halloween", aka "Vesper Omnium Sanctorum." "Locus scholasticus" meaning "a scholarly place" could be a classroom. The standard form for the word for the number 13, used for counting is "tredicem."

This story, by Honest Lee and Matthew J. Gilbert with illustrations by Joelle Dreidemy reminds of that "Twilight Zone" episode in which a greedy family gathers on Mardi Gras Eve when their wealthy patriarch is dying. They are asked to wear grotesque Mardi Gras masks and when the clock strikes 13, their faces are revealed to have taken the shape and expression of the heinous masks. Well, here in this story, the students of the 13th Classroom are cursed and then they transform into the characters of the Halloween costumes they are wearing, i.e. werewolves, vampires, zombies, etc.

Answer: Parvi Caerulei Autocineti Vesper Omnium Sanctorum

"Parvi" is the genitive singular form of parvus, meaning "little," and "Caerulei" is the genitive singular form of the adjective caeruleus, meaning "blue."

Autocinetum is more of a Neo-Latin term, directly borrowed from the Greek word αὐτοκίνητον (autokínēton), meaning "automobile" or "car"; obviously there were no trucks as we know them in ancient Latin, and so "Autocineti" (the singular form) is a modern construct derived from ancient Greek roots meaning "self-moving". Finally, "Vesper Omnium Sanctorum" is the compound word for "All Hallow's Eve."

Written by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Jill McElmurry "Little Ble Truck's Halloween" is their 2008 depiction of a friendly pick-up truck picking up his wide variety of animal friends to go to a Halloween costume party. It was a bestseller and featured rhyming stanzas that included moments for readers to join in with a variety of animal noises and vehicle noises like beeps. The book grew into a series of Little Blue Truck stories.

Answer: Nox Ante Diem Vesper Omnium Sanctorum

The most natural Latin construction is "The Night Before..." is "Nox Ante". And Halloween, aka All Hallow's Eve, remains Vesper Omnium Sanctorum.

This story by Natasha Wing is one of two in this quiz that retells "The Night Before Christmas" only for Halloween instead of Christmas. This retelling switches between two houses, one house occupied by monsters like Count Dracula, the Bride of Frankenstein, mummies, witches, and goblins as they prepare for the festivities by decorating and hoping to throw a party for trick-or-treaters. The other house, next door, is where the human children live and sleep dreaming of the fun that will come the next day trick-or-treating, eating candy, bobbing for apples, hayrides, etc.

Answer: Una Nox Ante Diem Vesper Omnium Sanctorum

"Una" is the feminine form of "one" to agree with "Nox" meaning "Night". The word "Good" wouldn't make much sense to translate because we're not saying "One Night That is Moral or Valuable"-"Good" is instead being used as an intensifier, it's an idiom along the line of saying "Oh boy only one more night...".

Written by Frank Berrios and illustrated by Debby Rahmalia, "One Good Night 'Til Halloween" is about a child who can hardly fall asleep the night before Halloween because he is full of giddy anticipation for all the fun he know will come the next day-the trick-or-treating, the decorations, the candy treats, and the costumes.