It’s no secret that we LOVE holidays in our house nor is it a secret that I have a problem with going ALL out for said holidays. My kids know it’s time for a new season, a new holiday when the books come out. Our Holiday and seasonal books are one of my favorite holiday traditions and I’ve put together a list of all of our Must-Have Halloween Books for Kids for you!
All of the books I’m sharing here with you are from our tried and true, very much loved Halloween book collection and I have no doubt your kids (and your husband) will love them as much as we do!
Ghost Afraid of the Dark
I’m a sucker for books that rhyme (because all of us mama’s know it means we can read them faster) and this book is a quick, delightful and fun read!
Description: Follow Boo the Ghost as he celebrates his first Halloween with all his Monster friends! He is a shy little ghost and quickly realizes he is afraid of many things. Read as Boo discovers to be brave in this adorable, spooky story! With charming illustrations and a glow-in-the-dark cover, Ghost Afraid of the Dark is sure to delight young readers
Skeleton Hiccups
If you have been following our family at all in the last year you’ll know all about my son’s best skeleton friend Dewey. If you don’t know about Dewey you can see his escapades HERE. Since Dewey (the skeleton) is a serious part of our family we are obviously obsessed with anything skeleton (but not creepy and dark…even though Dewey himself is quite decrepit). This book is a good laugh (for those of us reading it out loud) and one of our favorites.
Description: “What’s the best way to help a skeleton get over his bone-rattling, teeth-chattering, belly-laughing hiccups???”
Pick a Pumpkin
We love this little series of “Pick a…” and this one is no exception. The illustrations are beautiful and let’s just remember how much I love books that rhyme!
Description: Pairing a wonderfully rhythmic read-aloud text with expressive retro illustrations, author Patricia Toht and illustrator Jarvis capture all the excitement and familial feeling of a favorite holiday tradition. Readers will be happy to follow along with each step, from picking out the perfect specimen at the pumpkin patch (be sure to stop for cider and toffee apples) to carting it home, scooping out the insides, carving a scary face, and finally lighting a candle inside — savoring the familiar ritual of transforming an ordinary pumpkin into a one-of-a-kind glowing jack-o’-lantern.
Room on the Broom
Ok we are OBSESSED with any book Julia Donaldson writes and this little board book is sweet, fun, and epic. We read this book pretty much every night leading up to Halloween and the kids cannot get enough.
Description: The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch’s hat, then her bow, and then her wand! Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom. But is there room on the broom for so many friends? And when disaster strikes, will they be able to save the witch from a hungry dragon?
Bonaparte Falls Apart
Here we are again with the Skeleton obsession but this quirky book about friendship really captivated our hearts plus the puns are really funny!
Description:
Readers who love stories about friendship, school, and little monsters will love this clever and humorous picture book about a skeleton who is falling to pieces and needs help pulling himself together. Perfect for Halloween! Bonaparte is having a tough time. It’s hard for this young skeleton to just hang loose when he can’t keep hold of himself. When he plays catch, his throwing arm literally takes a flyer. Eating lunch can be a real jaw-dropping occasion. How can he start school when he has so many screws loose? Luckily, Bonaparte hit the bone-anza when it came to his friends. Franky Stein, Black Widow, and Mummicula all have some boneheaded ideas to help pull him together. But will it be enough to boost his confidence and get him ready for the first day of school?
Stumpkin
This one cracks me up and warms my heart every time I read it. This stemless pumpkin is so relatable in so many ways. Stumpkin will capture your heart and make you giggle!
Description: From the critically acclaimed author and illustrator of A Hungry Lion comes a unique Halloween story about a stemless pumpkin who dreams of becoming a jack-o-lantern. Stumpkin is the most handsome pumpkin on the block. He’s as orange as a traffic cone! Twice as round as a basketball! He has no bad side! He’s perfect choice for a Halloween jack-o-lantern. There’s just one problem—Stumpkin has a stump, not a stem. And no one seems to want a stemless jack-o-lantern for their window. As Halloween night approaches, more and more of his fellow pumpkins leave, but poor Stumpkin remains. Will anyone give Stumpkin his chance to shine?
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
This Halloween classic mesmerized children years ago and still captivates my kids today.
Description: Once upon a time, there was a little old lady who was not afraid of anything! But one autumn night, while walking in the woods, the little old lady heard . . . clomp, clomp, shake, shake, clap, clap. And the little old lady who was not afraid of anything had the scare of her life! With bouncy refrains and classic art, this timeless Halloween story is perfect for reading aloud. A classic and fun Halloween story that neither you nor the kids in your life will be able to resist, whether curled up at home or in a classroom or library setting.
Gilbert the Ghost
This is one of our new favorites, the story of a little ghost who doesn’t want to follow the crowd and learns to be true to himself. It’s sweet and heart-felt and the kids are loving it!
Description: Gilbert goes to ghost school like all the other ghosts, but he’s a special ghost: he doesn’t like to screech in a scary way, he doesn’t want to haunt and was always polite. What will happen to Gilbert when he’s sent by the principal of school to the Abandoned Tower?
The Ugly Pumpkin
This book about a pumpkin who is considered ‘ugly’ by all the other pumpkins finds his own importance as the seasons change and is cute as can be! Bonus we get to say the world ‘ugly’ which we try not to say unless we are reading a specific book that uses it so the kids really enjoy that…
Description: The Ugly Pumpkin has waited all through October for someone to take him home, but no one wants him. He doesn’t look like other pumpkins. So the lonely Ugly Pumpkin leaves the patch in search of a place where he’ll fit in. By the time Thanksgiving arrives, he discovers the truth about who he is–but it’s not what he expected
The Scariest Book Ever
This book is perfect for all you sarcastic and dramatic readers! My kids sit on the edge of their seat when I read books like this one. Anything that creates a little suspense on each page is a hit in our house!
Description: Reader beware! This is the scariest book ever! Or so claims its melodramatic ghost narrator. You can go ahead and turn the page, but don’t expect him to come with you. Anything might pop out of that black hole in the middle of the forest. What do you mean it’s just a bunny? Well, it’s probably a bunny with big fangs. Watch out, it’s — picking pumpkins with its friends, you say? Actually, despite the ghost’s scare-mongering, none of the animal characters in the illustrations seem scary at all. . . . What’s up with that? Many delights, such as surprises after the page turn, an alarmist narrator, and punch lines to anticipate make this book a scream for both kids and parents
Get The Scariest Book Ever HERE
Trick or Treat Parakeet
If you haven’t discovered the magic of Usborne Books then stop everything you’re doing and head there right now! Every book is creative, beautifully illustrated, educational and affordable. We are avid readers and Usborne books are some of our absolute favorite. This story about a Parakeet trick or treating is full of rhymes and beautiful illustrations. It’s part of a series that I guarantee your family and early readers will love!
Description: It’s Halloween and Parakeet is busy carving pumpkins and icing spooky treats. But when her friends come to call, they get a shock. Is that a GHOST who answers the door? A fun rhyming story, specially written to develop phonemic awareness, with lively illustrations by David Semple. This book is ideal both for reading aloud and for children who are beginning to read for themselves.
Get Trick or Treat Parakeet HERE
How to Make Friends with a Ghost
This book is well suited for children of all ages but definitely more interesting for older kids. My kids love listening to the story and laugh along as we read but it’s not your easy sit down, rhyme and read! Regardless we still love having this book in our Halloween collection.
Description:
What do you do when you meet a ghost? One: Provide the ghost with some of its favorite snacks, like mud tarts and earwax truffles. Two: Tell your ghost bedtime stories (ghosts love to be read to). Three: Make sure no one mistakes your ghost for whipped cream or a marshmallow when you aren’t looking! If you follow these few simple steps and the rest of the essential tips in How to Make Friends with a Ghost, you’ll see how a ghost friend will lovingly grow up and grow old with you. A whimsical story about ghost care, Rebecca Green’s debut picture book is a perfect combination of offbeat humor, quirky and sweet illustrations, and the timeless theme of friendship.
Get How to Make Friends with a Ghost HERE
B is for Boo
This incredibly illustrated board book is such a fun way to learn the alphabet and is a very quick read!!!
Description:
Greg Paprocki’s popular retro-style series of sturdy board book alphabet primers expands to introduce brilliant babies and toddlers to one of the most popular holidays on the calendar: Halloween. Just as other books in this series make learning history fun and engaging for children, tthis volume will fuel the anticipation of your child’s first halloween and help to expand their vocabulary in the process.
B Is for Boo: A Halloween Alphabet features a collection of twenty-six illustrations featuring Halloween-themed concepts, including imaginative costumes, oodles of treats, pumpkins galore, masks and monsters, and haunted houses.
Skeletons are not Spooky
This book is such a fun and easy read. Obviously we love all things skeleton in our house (if you’ve seen my son’s skeleton obsession) so any skeleton book that isn’t weird or creepy is a win.
Description: For everything that skeletons do for us, why do they have such a bad reputation for being spooky? Maybe they are just like us and want to have a little bit of fun. The creative children’s book duo of Kaine & Duds tries to set the record straight in this entertaining tale for everybody. With adorable illustrations and even a big word or two (like phalanges), this book is great as a read-aloud or beginner book for early readers.
There are so many great Halloween books but these are some of my absolute favorites for 2020. I would love to hear what Halloween books your family is loving!!!
