Let’s get ready for Halloween with some of the best Halloween Picture Books
Halloween is my favorite holiday. There, I said it. And I stand by it! I mean, costumes? Candy? Ghosts and witches? A fear of the unknown? Sounds like me every day, really.
In our house, we celebrate in some traditional ways. Especially with good friends and easy homemade costumes! We are also big fans of the Switch Witch and all things pumpkin and crafty.
We also celebrate with a lot of themed books! We even do a book countdown by reading new a Halloween picture book every night until it’s time to trick-or-read. I mean, treat. (But reading is a treat right?) Maybe we should call it a count-UP since we add so many new ones to the book stack each night! Some books make the list every year, but we always find new favorites too. What are your
These are some of our all-time best Halloween Picture Books:
Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins
What happens to this sweet, round pumpkin that has no stem? Will Stumpkin the Pumpkin get left behind at the shop on Halloween night? Find out if he becomes a Jack O Lantern after all in this adorable Halloween book.
Gustavo, The Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago
Gustavo is a quiet ghost, but really wants to make friends. So he invites some other ghouls and goblins to his violin recital. The music helps lead the way into friendship in this lovely book. For more of Gustavo’s beautifully illustrated and fun world, also find the books Vlad The Fabulous Vampire and Leila the Perfect Witch.
Hardly Haunted Jessie Sima
The house might make scary noises and seem haunted, but is it really? Or is it just a lonely house looking for a ghostly family to call it home. This one is absolutely adorable, and you can watch a video of it being read here.
Theres A Ghost In This House by Oliver Jeffers
Oliver Jeffers books are always so much fun and this is no exception! Find the ghost in the house. Help a young girl figure out if there’s a ghost in her house in this clever and quirky book.
Spoonful of Frogs by Casey Lyall and Vera Brosgol
Maybe it’s because I love witches, especially funny ones. But this book tickled my funny witch bone! Especially since there were no frogs actually harmed in the making of this funny and clever book.
Lots Of Cats by E. Dee Taylor
A sweet little witch wants new friends, but what happens when all those friends are a house full of cats? A simple and non-scary book about a witch and her wishful potion-making. Just right for cat lovers!
Bats In The Band by Brian Lies
This is not a Halloween book, but a clever book about musical bats. A lovely book for musical children who love bats. Great for kids who might want something that seems Halloween-adjacent.
Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party by Erin Lorraine Barker
The sweetest Halloween-themed counting book I’ve ever seen! The illustrations are lovely and the characters are as cute as can be, all ready for a spooky tea party! To see a video of this book being read, click here.
Fox At Night by Corey R. Tabor
All of Corey R. Tabor’s books are absolutely adorable, especially the Fox series. This one is about Fox searching for monsters at night. But will he (and his forest friend) find any? Another cute one that could fit into a Halloween-esque category is Fox The Tiger. Fox and his friends dress up as different things they like. But come to find out, they are pretty cool just as they are too! It’s a cute way to address costumes without being scary at all.
Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
Follow a boy and his pumpkin from seed to jack o’lantern and back again in this simple yet classic pumpkin story.
How Many Seeds In A Pumpkin by Margaret McNamara and G. Brian Karas
Mr. Tiffin’s class is learning all about pumpkins seeds, and what it means to be big or small in this mathematical-themed book. They learn that small pumpkins may be the ones you can count on for the most pumpkin seeds!
Pumpkin Island by Arthur Geisert
When a pumpkin got washed onto an island, it started its very own pumpkin patch that grew and grew until the whole island was overflowing with pumpkins! No monsters, ghouls, or scream-inducing tricks in this one, just lots of Jack-o-Lanterns.
Bonaparte Falls Apart by Margery Cuyler and Will Terry
Bonaparte is excited for school until all his bones keep falling off! What’s a skeleton, and his monster palls, to do? A sweet story of friendship and taking care of ourselves and each other.
Frankenslime by Joy Keller and Ashley Belote
What do you do when your slime experiment comes to life? Victoria Franken, scientist extraordinaire, is about to find out! Just right for any budding slime-entist, it even includes a slime recipe.
Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey and Júlia Sardà
Stay on the Frankenstein theme with this monsterously good book about Mary Shelley, the author of the original Frankenstein. A fascinating tale with gorgeous illustrations to round it all out.
Want more Halloween-themed things that are more treat than trick?
Try these two sweet little Halloween songs that younger kids are sure to want to sing along with:
The Pumpkin Song
Five Little Ghosts
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