1970's "The Halloween Hut" by Miriam Fuller

Does anyone remember using these staplebound reading booklets from Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company during their elementary school days in the 1970s or 1980s? This 24-page book was published in 1970 and written by Miriam Fuller. It contains three short stories with one- and two-syllable words: "Little Red Jet," "The Halloween Hut," and "The Magic Tree," which features a pixie named Puck.

The other books from this specific Merrill set, all of which I believe were written by Fuller, include Jan and Cap Can Nap; The Van Man; Rags in the Van; Cats, Cats; Up Pup Up; The Bus is For Us; The Fun Bag; The Little Fix-it Lad; Ground Hog; Tubs; and Cousin Mack.

From the few books that I've seen, one of the really nice elements is that there's a good mixture of protagonists of different races. This was perhaps one of the earliest set of children's books to understand that representation matters. The artwork is also very good, though no illustrator is credited, which is a shame.

Here's an excerpt from "The Halloween Hut":

Tad ran to Dan's pack and got a match. He lit it and said, "Your ghost, Tim, is a wet mop. And the ghost that had you by the neck, Dan, is a ragbag.

Tim looked at Dan said, "So I am a little chicken, but you are a big chicken."

I don't know how long this 1970 book was in use by the Hanover Public School District. But when it was "OFFICALLY DISCONTINUED," it received this big stamp on the inside front cover: