Halloween-ish Picture Books

10-halloweenish-picture-books

While pulling books for the Halloween display at school, I realized that some of the best titles out there aren’t traditionally thought of as “Halloween books”…but they fit perfectly in the category.  From nonfiction to folklore, beginner readers to award-winners, these books are decidedly Halloween-ish: a bit spooky, a bit scary, but nary a mention of the candy-and-costume holiday.  With common Halloween characters and themes, these titles are perfect for those in need of a non-Halloween book or looking to mix up their October reading selections.

Note: J-girl and my boy H, watching me download pics, commented positively on almost all of these books.  These titles have kid-approval!

creepy-carrots

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

A young bunny, happily stealing carrots from the local patch, gets an unexpected surprise one day: the carrots seem to be following him!  Caldecott Honor Award.

hoodwinked-arthur-howard

Hoodwinked by Arthur Howard

Young Mitzi the witch is desperate for a creepy pet and is unprepared when a cute, cuddly furball shows up on her doorstep.

i-need-my-monster-noll

I  Need My Monster by Amanda Noll

When Ethan’s under the bed monster, Gabe, goes on vacation, he’s unable to sleep and must interview other scary types to fill in until Gabe returns.

a-place-for-bats

A Place for Bats by Melissa Stewart

An engaging nonfiction narrative about the importance and usefulness of bats within our communities and world.

the-tailypo-galdone

The Tailypo: a ghost story retold by Paul Galdone

After its tail gets chopped off , a faceless creature haunts the woodsman until the tail is returned.  NOTE: VERY SCARY. Share with ages 8+.  A classic folktale.

bone-soup

Bone Soup by Cambria Evans

When no one shares food with Finnigin, a hungry skeleton, he persuades a town of other creepy creatures to cook up a pot of tasty Bone Soup. A version of the classic folktale Stone Soup.

the-monstore

The Monstore by Tara Lazar

Zack visits the Monstore, hidden underneath a candy shop, hoping to find a monster scary enough to keep his sister from entering his room.

fly-guy-and-frankenfly

Fly Guy and the Frankenfly by Tedd Arnold

Young Buzz falls asleep one night, dreaming that his pet Fly Guy turns into Frankenfly!  An I Can Read book perfect for emerging readers!

vampirina-ballerina

Vampirina Ballerina by Anne Marie Pace

A vampire girl dreams of becoming a ballerina and perseveres with hard work and the support of her family.

Even-Monsters-Need-Haircuts

Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott

A young boy takes over his dad’s barber shop each full moon, giving haircuts to the scariest guys in town.

One thought on “Halloween-ish Picture Books

  1. kariannwrites

    Thank you for the recommendations. We’re going to read more than one of those. Right now we read two Halloweenish books over and over. “A Very Witchy Spelling Bee” by George Shannon has a young witch who loves to spell, S-P-E-L-L, and then adds a letter to change an item into something else. “The 13 Nights of Halloween” by Guy Vasilovich is the other one. In it the Twelve Days of Christmas was made into a frightful song.

    Reply

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