Thursday, October 5, 2017

Twenty Halloween Picture Books for ages 3 to 7


I've been meaning to write this post for years. Years! Every fall I come to this blog and search for my list of our favorite Halloween books. Every search ends in disappointment because I've never actually complied the list. Last year I even took a photo of Reid's October read-at-home list so I'd remember to finally write this post, but then I got distracted by things like having a baby and other life necessities. 


So here it is. Finally! Our (ever growing) list of favorite Halloween picture books. I honestly think I enjoy reading Halloween stories even more than Christmas stories (despite our beloved Christmas book advent). There's something so comfy cozy about curling up on the couch with a book that promises to be both spooky and silly. Some bend a little more toward spook and others lean on the silly, but I love snuggling my little monsters while they follow the adventures of other little monsters. I hope you enjoy them as well!

Little Goblins Ten -- This silly, spooky twist on the beloved nursery ryhme "Over in the Meadow," has been our (okay, maybe just my) Halloween favorite for years and years.  It's a must read, and a book that is sure to delight readers of all ages. The artwork is adorable and my kids (even the 7 year old) love to act out all the spooky characters actions.

Room on a Broom  --  My mother-in-law gave this to us a couple years ago and we just love it. It is such a beautiful and fun read aloud. The author has such a talent with language and rhyme (we love her other famous work, The Gruffalo, as well). Each year Netflix runs a captivating version of this story. Without varying from the original words, it manages to create a full length TV episode. Pretty impressive for a picture book!

Little Boo -- This book is absolutely adorable. I could have read it every night, ha! It doubles as a great life cycle primer (perfect for a pumpkin unit)! Readers meet little boo when he is just a baby pumpkin seed. We journey with him as he fulfills his dream of scaring those around him. 

The Bones of Fred McFee -- Reid brought this book home from the school library last year and we read it nearly every day the whole week we had it. I found myself haunting the kids with the story any chance I could. It is just the right amount of spooky and captivating. It will definitely be a favorite for older readers. 

Black and Bittern Was the Night -- I won't lie -- I did not enjoy this story the first time I read it. It is written in nonsense verse and I became frustrated by how frequently I messed up the (non)words. But I LOVED the artwork and the story and I thought, "have Ben read this and see how he reacts." He loved it. In fact, he woke up the next morning still talking about how fun it was to read aloud to the kids. I guess I'm just going to have to practice it a few more times, because it really is worth the frustrating nonsense.  

Creepy Carrots --  I don't strictly consider this a Halloween book, and I doubt the author intended it as such. It's a tale of Jasper rabbit and the creepy carrots that haunt him. My kids beg to read it over and over again. They'd probably love to read it all year round, but we keep this creepy tale on our Halloween list so I don't grow tired of it. It is a Caldecott Honor book and New York Times Besteller. There is now a follow up called Creepy Underwear. I'm not sure if we'll get to that one or not. My kids don't need any more potty humor in their life. 

Bone Soup -- This absolutely adorable spin of the traditional stonesoup story is perfect. Readers will fall in love with the little skeleton who collects ingredients from his monster neighbors. It's a party for all, and we're certainly okay with not being invited.  

Skeleton for Dinner  -- I think I really loved this one at first. But my kids requested it nearly every night last year and I do remember finally tiring of it. If they had their way, it'd be at the top of the list though. It's sure to be a favorite with this age group. 

Five Little Pumpkins -- Young readers will fall in love with this classic Halloween ryhme. But older kids won't tire of it. Instead, they practice memorizing and reciting it as they grow. I think there are many versions, as the author is unknown, but you can enjoy it as a board book, a felt story, or even a cute YouTube video. 

Goodnight Goon -- This quickly became one of Reid's favorite books ever. It's a parody of Goodnight Moon, filled with all the spooky Halloween monsters a kid could dream of. Like Creepy Carrots and Room on the Broom, this is a Halloween top seller. We snatched a like new copy at our local Goodwill (it's a great place to find gently used holiday books for any collection). 

Ghost in the House -- We loved the silly surprise ending for this spooky fun book. I enjoyed the pictures, and the story line was simple enough young readers can really enjoy it. There are a couple books by this title, so note that I am referring to the Ammi-Joan Paquette lift-the-flap book.

Only a Witch Can Fly -- My kids weren't hooked on this one, but the artwork is gorgeous! It's a fun tale of a young witch who learns how to fly despite her initial failures. It's a great way to teach kids about bravery and hard work. 

Vampire Boy's Good Night -- This story follows two best friends -- a vampire and a witch -- as they hunt for the mysterious and always hard to find children that live in the village nearby. I really enjoy the artwork in this book as well. 

Halloween Hustle -- One of my favorite read alouds, this book just begs for some bone bouncing fun. My littlest kids have especially enjoyed dancing to the beat. The older kids love staring at all the fun monsters who gather together for a Halloween party. 

It's Raining Bats and Frogs -- This book was just recently published, so we were excited to check it out and see if it was as fun as some of the more classic books on our list. I really liked the artwork and the kids were pretty captivated by the story. Reid loves books that have quote bubbles in the photos, so that was a nice little bonus. 

Ten Timid Ghosts -- This fun counting book takes readers on a haunted house adventure. But as the title warns, the ghosts aren't the ones doing the haunting. The artwork doesn't pull me in, but the rhyme and counting are enough to earn it a spot on our list each year. 

Alpha Oops: H is for Halloween -- I admit that I only remember this from years ago, but it's on my checkout list again this year because I know we loved it and any list for kids this age needs a good old fashioned alphabet book. Isn't it only fair that letters like Z and M get to go first every now and again? Alpha Oops is a comical series and the Halloween edition is our favorite yet. 

Annie Was Warned -- The first reading of this book is pure delight. My kids were on the edge of their seats with fear. But the ending is quite a fun surprise, no need to worry about nightmares. It was fun to see them get a little nervous for poor Annie as she wondered into a haunted adventure, but after that first reading the appeal kind of wears off, unfortunately. 

A Short History of Halloween (Pebbles Plus) -- We love the informative non-fiction Pebbles Plus books. They've taught us about everything from weather, to insects, to trucks, to careers and animals. I am not exaggerating when I say we've probably read nearly 50 of them. A short History of Halloween is a fabulous introduction to various Roman, Celtic, and Christian festivals that gave birth to America's Halloween.    

Halloween (The Child's World) -- This is a more in-depth history of Halloween. The book is broken up into small chapters that cover the same groups of people mentioned in the Pebbles Plus book, plus it explains where the idea of trick or treating came from and includes a chapter on the Day of the Dead. The last chapter includes three popular Halloween poems. Many pages have a one or two words highlighted in bold, and there are definitions and other fun fact boxes on the edge of the page. It's all very informative, even for me!


It's worth noting, yes there are at least 20 more books that didn't make the cut and there are more yet to be read! Halloween is such a great time to check out a huge stack of books from the local library. I hope this list helped others add a few new titles to their rotation. 

No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...