Our Favorite Halloween Books For Kids

Looking to celebrate Halloween with some Halloween books for kids? Since the Halloween obsession runs strong in our family, we’ve read just about all of them! Here are our favorite Halloween picture books for kids.

I have a not-so-secret obsession with Halloween. I know many families have a month’s worth of Christmas books to read together. In my house, we have a month’s worth of Halloween picture books to read together instead.

Halloween Books to Read with Kids

My plan is working to make my toddler just as big a fan of Halloween. Last year, when I went to pack up the Halloween picture books, several were pulled out of the box and hidden in safe places so he could still read them. It made me smile each summer month to read and talk about trick-or-treating.

I wish I could say every Halloween book is amazing, but sadly, there are several that are just there for marketing purposes. However, there are so many good ones that it’s hard not to keep adding to our collection!

For anyone looking to add a bit more festivity to this Halloween season, and enjoy some fun Halloween activities with kids, I can’t recommend adding a few great Halloween picture books to your collection. Here are several of our favorites.

 

Our Top 10 Halloween Books for Kids

Room on the Broom

This is my all-time favorite Halloween book! If I could only keep one book in my collection, I think this is the perfect book for young readers and elementary-aged kids alike! We added this book to our collection seven years ago, and we’ve all been obsessed with it ever since!
A witch welcomes all the animals who ask if they can join her on her broom. When the witch finds herself in trouble, her friends come to save the day. It’s all about inclusion, making friends, and being a good friend with a Halloween twist. Plus, the rhyme scheme and rhythm will make this a fun read-aloud you won’t mind reading over and over again!

The Bad Seed: The Good, The Bad, and the Spooky

We already love The Bad Seed books, but this Halloween edition takes the cake (or maybe the candy corn?)! The Bad Seed just wants the perfect costume so he can have the spookiest Halloween ever. It’s funny, heartfelt, and has the same great message about kindness and self-acceptance we’ve come to love from this series.

Creepy Pair of Underwear

Aaron Reynolds created what may be the most perfect series of Halloween books for kids, and this one is extra hilarious! Jasper Rabbit gets a new pair of glow-in-the-dark underwear… and soon realizes they might be a little too creepy for comfort. Kids will love the silly, spooky vibes, and parents will appreciate how clever and fun the story is. It’s the perfect mix of spooky and silly without being scary!

Creepy Carrots

Before the underpants came the carrots! Jasper Rabbit is convinced the carrots he loves to snack on have turned against him. It’s a suspenseful but super funny read that keeps kids giggling while loving the clever twist ending. A Halloween favorite for sure!

Bonepart Falls Apart

Sweet little Bonepart is the skeleton, who keeps losing his bones. He’s worried he won’t be able to pull himself together in time to make new friends. He solicits the help of Halloween monster friends and his bone dog to try to help. It’s adorable, funny, and just spooky enough to keep kids interested without a single nightmare involved. A total win for little readers!

There’s a Ghost in This House

This one is pure magic, and Oliver Jeffers deserves some serious kudos for one of the most unique and beautiful children’s books I’ve ever read! The mixed-media illustrations are stunning, and kids will love turning the transparent pages to help find the ghosts hidden around the house. It’s interactive, beautifully designed, and feels like a Halloween treasure you’ll want to read again and again.

Sir Simon, Super Scarer

This is not Halloween-specific, which means it still may be at your local library even in the month of October! We think it’s the perfect close Halloween-themed books that make it so fun to read during spooky season!
Sir Simon is a professional ghost assigned to haunt a house—except the new kid who moves in turns out to be a lot more work than Simon expected! It’s funny, charming, and has such a sweet message about friendship. We love this one for Halloween and beyond!

Creepy Sheepy

Sleepy Sheepy has the perfect Halloween costume in mind for Halloween night: dress as a werewolf and be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. His dad encourages him to be himself and think of unique Halloween costumes, but Sheepy insists. He finds himself looking like every other little sheep, and learns a big lesson on being you and being creative! Written by Lucy Ruth Cummins with illustrations by Pete Oswald, it’s as funny and charming as it sounds, with adorable art and plenty of bedtime giggles.

Sammy’s Spooktacular Halloween

Sammy loves Halloween so much that his enthusiasm takes over the whole year with the inclusion of spooks, scares, and Halloween characters at every holiday. That enthusiasm may be a little too much. It’s a fun story about going big for the holiday, learning to listen to others, coming together as a family, and of course, celebrating all things spooky and fun.

Christopher Pumpkin

A witch needs help decorating her haunted house, so she conjures up some spooky pumpkins… but one turns out to be way too cheerful for the job! Christopher Pumpkin’s sweet and sparkly personality is the perfect contrast to the creepy setting, and the rhyming story makes it a super fun read-aloud.

 

Halloween Picture Books

These are fun reads with colorful illustrations, cute characters, and a little bit of a spooky story, perfect as fun family Halloween picture books!

The Haunted Mansion

Hello Disney and Disneyland/Disney World fans, this is for you! This is the ride made into a children’s book with animated pages and the script from the ride. We bought it in hopes of helping our little one be less afraid when we took him to Disneyland, and it worked like a charm! He loves it and loves the ride, but we love the spooky and cute feel that makes it fun to read, particularly for Halloween. Additionally, the CD included lets you listen to the song and enjoy it with audio if you’d like!

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost

This one is so heartwarming! Gustavo is a shy little ghost who loves playing the violin but struggles to make friends. With beautiful illustrations and a sweet message about being yourself, it’s the perfect Halloween read that leaves kids feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

Ghost Afraid of the Dark

What happens when a ghost is scared of the dark? This cute and clever story flips the usual spooky script and shows kids that even ghosts can be a little scared sometimes. It’s funny, reassuring, and a great way to talk about facing fears in a lighthearted way.

The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt

This story is as cozy as it sounds! Unlike all the other ghosts who are sheets, this little ghost is a quilt—and it makes flying and haunting a little tricky. It’s a sweet and unique tale about embracing what makes you different, with gorgeous fall illustrations that make it a perfect October bedtime story.

Creepy Crayon

From the creators of Creepy Carrots and Creepy Pair of Underwear comes another hilariously spooky story! Jasper Rabbit finds a purple crayon that seems to help him ace his schoolwork… but soon realizes this crayon might have a mind of its own. It’s funny, clever, and just the right amount of creepy for a Halloween read kids will beg to hear again.

Stumpkin

Poor Stumpkin is the perfect pumpkin—round, bright, and ready for Halloween—except he doesn’t have a stem. As all the other pumpkins in the shop get picked to become jack-o’-lanterns, Stumpkin starts to wonder if he’ll ever get his chance. It’s a sweet, heartfelt story about belonging and finding your place, with beautiful fall illustrations that kids will love.

Click Clack Boo 

The characters from Click Clack Moo are back with Farmer Brown afraid of Halloween, and ready to hide under his covers. The animals have another idea of Halloween, including a barnyard costume party. It’s a cute way to talk about being inclusive and overcoming our fears to have some fun!

The Little Kitten

This one is pure autumn sweetness! When a little girl finds a stray kitten on a crisp fall day, it leads to a gentle, heartwarming Halloween adventure full of kindness and friendship. With its soft, beautiful illustrations, it’s the perfect cozy read for younger kids in October.

The Halloween Tree

This one is a total delight! With colorful illustrations and a playful story, The Halloween Tree is all about creating new traditions, celebrating the season, and having a little spooky fun along the way. Kids will love the imaginative twists, and parents will love how it inspires fun family Halloween traditions.

Pumpkin Jack

This classic Halloween story is a favorite for a reason! Pumpkin Jack is a cheerful pumpkin who’s carved into a jack-o-lantern and enjoys a full season of spooky fun—until the inevitable happens. It’s a gentle, heartwarming tale about the life cycle of a pumpkin, perfect for teaching kids about change, celebrating Halloween, and enjoying autumn together.

Great Halloween Books for Toddlers and The Littlest Readers

If you need a book that you get in board book form, read to a baby, and still enjoy with your preschooler, these are great options!

Spooky Pookie

My first child is born in September, and for my baby shower, my sister did the most amazing thing. She requested that people bring a book instead of a card for the baby to enjoy. I was introduced to Sandra Boynton because of these gifts, and I’ve never been the same! I have a friend who is a published author and someone whose taste I’ll always respect. She gifted us Spooky Pookie, and we’ve read it and loved it for three years and counting!

10 Timid Ghosts

The ghosts that live in a haunted house are being ousted by a witch who is trying to scare them out one by one. It’s a great counting book, clever illustrations, and a great read-aloud Halloween book!

Frankenstein BabyLit 

We’re huge fans of all the BabyLit books, but this anatomy primer that helps kids learn body parts is just darling! The illustrations are so cute. The words are simple enough for a tiny baby to enjoy. But our preschooler loves talking about the creation of a monster, too!

Dracula BabyLit 

While we’re on BabyLit, I have to add Dracula too! This one is a counting primer that takes elements of the classic book and turns them into amazing illustrations for kids to count. It’s the right touch of spooky and darling mixed to make it perfect for Halloween time, and a fantastic Halloween book for kids.

Boo, Bunny!

This darling tale takes two bunnies trick-or-treating as they explore spooky sounds and sites. They learn to overcome fear and have a fun night! The illustrations are so cute. Also, it’s a quick read for busy nights.

Five Little Monkeys Trick-or-Treat

The Five Little Monkeys go trick-or-treating with a babysitter and decide to trade costumes to play a trick on her. When their mom discovers the trick they’ve tried, she plays a trick back on them! It’s cute, it’s clever, and it has preschoolers rolling on the floor laughing! Of all the Halloween books for kids, this one is by far the silliest!

Little Blue Truck’s Halloween

This series can do no wrong in the eyes of my toddler. I was a bit leery of a Halloween version, but this series pulls it together so nicely with lift-up flaps to help you figure out what characters are behind the costumes. Little hands love it. The Little Blue Truck books are known for a sing-song cadence; you’ll definitely find it in this one, too! Also, this makes it a delight to read.

You’re My Little Pumpkin Pie

This one is pure sweetness! With adorable rhymes and chunky board book pages, You’re My Little Pumpkin Pie is perfect for babies and toddlers. It’s full of cute Halloween-themed illustrations and a sweet message that makes it a cozy read for snuggly story time in October.

Hooray for Halloween, Curious George

Curious George fans, this one’s for you! George goes on all kinds of Halloween adventures, from picking out costumes to visiting a haunted house. It’s lighthearted, fun, and has that classic Curious George charm that makes kids giggle while learning about the holiday.

Eek! Halloween!

Sandra Boynton does it again with this silly and lovable story! When the chickens on the farm see witches, cats, and jack-o’-lanterns, they think something must be terribly wrong. It’s a fun and quirky way to get little ones laughing while enjoying the spooky (but not too spooky!) side of Halloween.

 

If you like these book recommendations, be sure to check out these blog posts:

The Best Christmas Picture Books for Kids

Fun Books about Skeletons for Kids

Star Wars Books for Star Wars Lovers