10 Spooky Pumpkins

Gris Grimly

Chris Grimly looks grimly upon the Halloween sights in this adorable picture book. His jaunty rhyme and colorful pictures are perfect Halloween fare for toddlers and preschoolers, (as well as the adults who are sharing this book with them.) Ten spooky pumpkins find nine black cats, who then find eight bats. Kids can get practice counting the items, counting backwards and predicting the rhyme at the end of the stanza. Grandma and child both rate this one a solid ten (pumpkins.)

Boo! Haiku

Deanna Caswell, Bob Shea (Illustrator)

Little kids are familiar with rhyming poems. But even preschoolers can have fun with Haiku. On each page this adorable book uses a haiku to describe a Halloween creature. It the asks the reader “Do you know who is in this haiku?” They can then turn the page for the answer which always follows the same format: “BOO! It’s a ____.” Adults can read the Haiku and then the little ones will enjoy the repetitive phrases. Even the youngest emergent reader, who is just starting out will have success reading the riddle answers. I read this with a three year old and we both loved it!

Gilbert and the Ghost

Heather Pierce Stigall, Jess Mason (illustrator)

Gilbert and the Ghost is a sweet, slightly spooky story about friendship and feeling unseen. Shy, quiet Gilbert often feels invisible. He is convinced that there is a ghost at the nearby Victorian house and he is sure that the ghost is lonely too. Gilbert keeps leaving tokens of friendship at the house. But his family doesn’t believe that a ghost is taking them. They always have reasonable explanations. You will absolutely love the ending! Read my interview with the author here.

It’s Not Easy Being A Ghost

Marilyn Sadler, Stephanie Laberis (illustrator)

Misty, the ghost cat, longs to be spooky. But she is just too CUTE to be scary. she tries a variety of scary costumes but none of them work out. In the end she realizes that her friends like her just the way she is. This cute Halloween story is a great way to reinforce the message of self acceptance and have a few giggles along the way.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Charles M. Schulz

This timeless classic still stands out as a great Halloween story.

Lila and the Jack-o’-Lantern: Halloween Comes to America

Nancy Churnin, Anneli Bray (Illustrator)

Nancy Churnin has stepped away from her usual biographies for youngsters to create a charming historical fiction that explores the Irish roots of the two most popular American Halloween customs. This sweet story has a young girl worrying about the fact that her younger siblings will miss out on their usual Halloween festivities, until she finds a way to improvise. Anelli Brey’s colorful illustrations help set the mood with authentic historical detail. This interesting and informative story would make a nice change of pace for Halloween story time.

Llama Llama Trick or Treat

Anna Dewdney

This cute Halloween story is another adorable book in the Llama Llama series that toddlers will adore.
five stars from me and a “Read it again, Grandma” from the little one.

Room on the Broom

Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler (Illustrator)

This silly story is perfect Halloween fare for little ones. This fun rhyming story with a quick jazzy rhythm and whimsical illustrations will entertain children of all ages. Instead of a scary Halloween story the little ones get a treat with a tale about friendship.

When a friendly witch and her cat who fly through the air, the wind carries away some of her belongings. Each one is found by a helpful animal who would like a ride on her broomstick. The fact that the broom does not have enough room is predictable, kids will wait for the broom to break. But then, the witch is approached by a hungry dragon and it is up to the animals to save her. Although aimed at tiny tots, there are a few cute inclusions to make older readers smile as well.

Samurai Scarecrow: A Very Ninja Halloween

Rubin Pingk

This silly story is perfect Halloween fare for little ones. This fun rhyming story with a quick jazzy rhythm and whimsical illustrations will entertain children of all ages. Instead of a scary Halloween story the little ones get a treat with a tale about friendship. When a friendly witch and her cat who fly through the air, the wind carries away some of her belongings. Each one is found by a helpful animal who would like a ride on her broomstick. The fact that the broom does not have enough room is predictable, kids will wait for the broom to break. But then, the witch is approached by a hungry dragon and it is up to the animals to save her. Although aimed at tiny tots, there are a few cute inclusions to make older readers smile as well.