Halloween Books for the Whole Family

a little spooky and a little silly

As October rolls in, bringing cooler weather (except here in California, sadly) and the excitment of Halloween, our bookshelves transform with spooky, whimsical, and magical stories perfect for the season. Halloween-themed kids' books, from lighthearted tales of mischievous ghosts to enchanting adventures with witches and pumpkins, invite little readers into a world of wonder and fun. These stories not only spark imagination but also add an extra layer of seasonal joy, making bedtime reading during this festive month something to eagerly look forward to. Here are some of the best October reads that have become staples on our shelves.

Vampenguin by Lucy Ruth Cummins - A charming, humorous story of adventure, mistaken identity, and a vampire family's day at the zoo. On a Saturday morning, baby Dracula visits the zoo with his family, where baby Penguin lives with hers.

Little Blue Truck's Halloween by Alice Schertle - Beep! Beep! It's Halloween! Little Blue Truck is picking up his animal friends for a costume party. Lift the flaps in this large, sturdy board book to find out who's dressed up in each costume! Will Blue wear a costume too?

Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins - 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 the 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.

Pig the Monster by Aaron Blabey - Pig, the world's greediest pug, is on the rampage for TREATS! TREATS! TREATS! But don't even think about being stingy with the goodies, because this candy-fueled glutton has some terrible tricks up his sleeve...

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles M. Schulz - It's Halloween night, and the Peanuts gang is busy dressing up in costumes, trick-or-treating, and bobbing for apples. Meanwhile, Linus waits for the Great Pumpkin to rise from the pumpkin patch and bring toys to all the children of the world. Could this be the year it finally appears?

The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin by Stan Berenstain & Jan Berenstain - The Bear family might not win the blue ribbon for their entry in the pumpkin
contest during the annual Bear Country Thanksgiving Festival, but they do gain
a new appreciation of the true spirit of the holiday and all they have to be
thankful for.

The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming - Squirrel loves counting the leaves on his tree--red leaves, gold leaves, orange, and more. But hold on! One of his leaves is missing! On a quest to find the missing leaf, Squirrel teams up with his good friend Bird to discover who the leaf thief could be among their forest friends.

Spooky Pookie by Sandra Boynton - What will little Pookie decide to be for Halloween this year? Pookie tries on costumes one by one, but somehow can't find the right thing. The resolution to Pookie's dilemma will delight toddlers and their caregivers alike. Told with Sandra Boynton's charm and pizzazz.

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson - 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?

The Pumpkin Who Wasn’t Afraid of the Dark by Michelle Robinson - A sweetly spooky Halloween story about a little pumpkin with big fears, by a best-selling picture book duo! The way every pumpkin is meant to behave is fearless and feisty and spooky and brave. It's what every pumkpin is brought up to do . . . apart from the littlest pumpkin, named Boo.

Poppy and Sam's Halloween Party by Sam Taplin - Poppy and Sam are getting ready for Halloween - but where's Rusty the dog? Little children will love looking through the peep holes and following the fingertrails in this charming board book, spotting lots of the animals of Apple Tree Farm along the way.

Hardly Haunted by Jessie Sima - House has a problem.She's a little spooky. She's a little cobwebby. Oh, no! What if she's haunted? She's not sure, but...her hinges creak. Her pipes bang. And on windy days, the branches scritch-scratch at her windows. She tries to hold her breath and be as still as possible. If she's on her best behavior, maybe a family will move in. How will House ever find a family that doesn't mind being haunted?

Clifford's Halloween by Norman Bridwell - Emily Elizabeth and Clifford are ready for the spookiest day of the year! They make the most of their Halloween: bobbing for apples, listening to ghost stories, and trick-or-treating. But when it's time to dress up, there are too many costumes to choose from! Zebra, Witch, Knight--what should Clifford be?

The Little Kitten (My Little Animal Friend) by Nicola Killen - Ollie and her cat Pumpkin are out frolicking on a beautiful fall day when they come upon a tiny kitten shivering in a pile of fallen leaves. Ollie warms the kitten up and the three become fast friends, but when Ollie sees “Lost Kitten” posters hanging on the trees in the forest, she knows she has to help her new friend get home. As Halloween draws nearer, magic is afoot, and Ollie’s good deed is rewarded in an unexpected way.

Gilbert the Ghost by Guido Van Genechten - 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?

Tidy by Emily Gravett - Pete the badger learns that being tidy isn't always the best thing in this save-the-environment picture book from award-winning author and illustrator Emily Gravett. Pete the badger likes everything to be neat and tidy at all times, but what starts as the collecting of one fallen leaf escalates quickly and ends with the complete destruction of the forest. Will Pete realize the error of his ways and reverse his tidying habit?

Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie by Herman Parish -Amelia Bedelia is sure she will love everything about autumn. The colorful trees, Jumping in the leaves, Apples, apples, apples, Warm apple pie, Fun family projects. Amelia Bedelia can't wait. What could be better? Autumn!

The Crayons Trick or Treat by Drew Daywalt - The Crayons want to go trick-or-treating, but they're not sure what to say! In this humorous, small hardcover Halloween story, Purple Crayon teaches the rest of the crayon box the magic words to say when they ring their neighbors' doorbells. (Hint: It's NOT "Boo!")

Sweep by Louise Greig - Ed's bad mood begins as something really small, hardly a thing at all. But before long it grows, gathers pace, and spreads through the whole town. Can Ed sweep his troubles away?

Eek! Halloween! by Sandra Boynton - Strange things are happening. One chicken saw a pumpkin with flickering eyes, another spied a mouse of enormous size. They all saw a wizard and a witch, and a spooky robot, too. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Relax, silly chickens! It's HALLOWEEN!"

Creepy Crayon! by Aaron Reynolds - Jasper Rabbit has a problem: he is NOT doing well in school. His spelling tests? Disasters. His math quizzes? Frightening to behold. But one day, he finds a crayon lying in the gutter. Purple. Pointy. Perfect. Somehow...it looked happy to see him. And it wants to help. At first, Jasper is excited. Everything is going great. His spelling is fantastic. His math is stupendous. And best of all, he doesn't have to do ANY work! But then the crayon starts acting weird. It's everywhere, and it wants to do everything. And Jasper must find a way to get rid of it before it takes over his life. The only problem? The creepy crayon will not leave.

Boo! Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton - Follow the gentle cow as she ventures out into the moonlit night, trying to discover who it was that replied to her BOO with a BAA. The surprise ending is certain to delight everyone--young or old, feathered or furry. BOO!

Amara and the Bats by Emma Reynolds - Amara loves bats! Her favorite thing to do is to collect bat facts and watch the amazing mammals fly at night by her house. But when Amara moves to a new town, she learns that her beloved bats no longer roost nearby because so many trees are being cut down. Amara is upset. What can she do to help? She's just one person, and the problem feels so much bigger than her. But after doing some research, she discovers that there are many young people making big changes all around the world. Inspired to take action, Amara gathers her new friends to help save the bats. Together, she knows they can make a difference!

Runaway Pumpkins by Teresa Bateman - A class trip to the pumpkin patch almost ends in disaster in this rollicking tale of resourcefulness and resilience. The old adage of "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" is reborn with pumpkins! When a bumpy road and a faulty bus storage lock release a load of handpicked pumpkins back into the wild, the students on a field trip are left with a single pumpkin. Pluckily, they decide to take what they have and do what they can. Together they decorate the only surviving pumpkin for their harvest fair.

That’s Not My Bat by by Fiona Watt - The simple, repetitive text, touchy-feely patches and colourful illustrations are perfect for babies and toddlers.

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara - Mr. Tiffin and his students explore skip counting and estimation in a fun pumpkin-themed classroom experiment! This book makes a wonderful read-aloud companion to any math or science curriculum, and it's a fun way to reinforce counting skills at home.

I’ve linked these titles through Bookshop.org. Bookshop.org a great way to support your local bookshops online & it was an easy way for me to compile all our books in one list! 📚 Happy spooky season & happy reading!! 🎃👻

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