We love reading and Halloween themed books are some of the best! As part of our 31 Super Fun Halloween Activities to do in Preschool, I’ve put together this entertaining list of 31 Halloween Themed Picture Books for Kids.
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1. Room on the Broom
Room on the Broom is my favorite Halloween story! It provides a wonderful lesson in helping others and bringing in good Karma. It’s also a movie. And it’s easy to memorize so you can recite it while driving in the car if you need to occupy a cranky toddler. Be sure to check out the many activities available at Teacher’s Pay Teachers to go along with this story too!
2. Spookley the Square Pumpkin
The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin is a classic and favorite of many. It’s a story that teaches how being different is what makes you special. Our Spookley the Square Pumpkin Shape Craft is a perfect add on to this great read aloud!
3. There Was And Old Mummy Who Swallowed a Spider
If you’re familiar with the story and song of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, There Was An Old Mummy Who Swallowed a Spider is a silly Halloween rendition that’s catchy and repetitive, and children LOVE it!
4. Don’t Push the Button: A Halloween Treat
Don’t Push the Button: A Halloween Treat is a spin off of Don’t Push the Button, you’ll join Larry the Monster as he nervously goes Trick-Or-Treating. It’s an interactive book that young children have a ton of fun with!
5. Pete the Cat: Trick-or-Pete
We love Pete the Cat so of course he made our 31 Halloween Themed Picture Book List! Pete the Cat: Trick-or-Pete follows Pete and his friends as they go trick-or-treating. What we love about this particular Pete the Cat book is that it’s interactive. There are flaps to lift throughout the story and a special surprise waiting behind each one!
6. Boo Stew
Boo Stew is a slight, spooky twist on the Goldilocks and the Three Bears Fairy Tale. It’s a fun story about braving your fears and, even though some people might not like something you’ve made, others will think it’s the best thing ever! Our favorite way to hear this story is when it’s read by Awnie at Storytime at Awnie’s House. We love Awnie!
7. Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin Picking Plan
Splat the Cat books are great for read alouds and developing readers. He and his pals are always bring some laughter to their adventures and in this particular story, Splat is sent to the pumpkin patch to choose his Halloween Pumpkin. When he finally decides on the one he wants, he can’t figure out how to get it home. Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin Picking Plan allows for some open discussion with kids on how they think they would get the pumpkin home.
After your reading block, do a fun science experiment with our Simple Mini Pumpkin Volcano activity!
8. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
This is a cute story about a little old lady who puts on her brave face and really puts her fears to great use! Children love the repetitive sound effects as they join the little old lady on a walk through the woods, one eerie night! Storytime at Awnie’s House does a great read aloud of The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything.
9. Snowmen at Halloween
In places where snowmen exist in October, what exactly do they do on Halloween night? Find out in Snowmen At Halloween; a story that is full of imagination and colorful illustrations.
10. Pinkalicious Pink or Treat
Stuck without power after a storm, Halloween in Pinkville might be cancelled… but not if Pinkagirl can help it! In this super story, Pinkalicious comes up with the perfect plan to give everyone in town the most memorable Halloween yet! Read Pinkalicious Pink or Treat. Then follow along as it’s read aloud by the actual author and illustrator, Victoria Kann! Join Victoria in a fun Pinkalicious craft after the story!
11. Pig the Monster
Pig is a Pug who might not be for everyone, but he’s definitely for us! He always brings the belly laughs and kids love how gross he is too. In Pig the Monster, we see all the funny (but wrong) ways Pig goes about trick-or-treating. He’s a greedy pug who wants ALL the candy, and you better watch out if you don’t give him what he wants. That is until he gets a treat that makes him change his ways.
12. The Spooky Wheels on the Bus
The Spooky Wheels on the Bus is a tongue twisting, Halloween version of the classic song that includes new sound effects and incorporates counting from 1 to 10! With bright and cheerful illustrations, kids will be singing along in no time. This video read-aloud from Kids Time Story Time on YouTube is entertaining and funny!
13. I Need My Monster (Series)
The I Need My Monster series consists of 4 books that make perfect read-alouds for Halloween since they are all about…. MONSTERS! These stories provide a different, silly perspective, of the monster under the bed! They are great for little ones who are afraid of the dark or going to bed at night, and feel like they need someone there with them. Get to know Ethan and his monster, Gabe, who has a hankering for little toes! Each book touches on something different, from being afraid at night, to learning to share, to losing something and finding it again, all while keeping the same characters from story to story. To read these books in order start with the first one called, I Need My Monster. Then, Hey! That’s MY Monster. Next is, Are You My Monster? And the last book is, How I Met My Monster.
14. Bonaparte Falls Apart
Bonaparte Falls Apart will keep your kiddo laughing the whole time. Poor Bonaparte is a skeleton who just can’t keep things together – those things being his PARTS! His friends really try to help them to no avail, but then one of them has the BEST idea ever! I love this book for Halloween because it has a few common pals you’d see this time of year and it really makes you giggle. After you read this story, make your own Bonaparte with the Build-A-Skeleton activity from our 31 Super Fun Halloween Activities list!
15. It’s Pumpkin Day Mouse
From the If You Give A Mouse A Cookie…series, comes this short story about Mouse, who is decorating his pumpkins for Halloween! He’s making his usual mess, but what kinds of faces will he give his pumpkins? How about MANY kinds! It’s Pumpkin Day Mouse is a good book for little kids learning emotions and facial expressions. Pair this book reading with our FREE Jack-O-Lantern Face Match Puzzles!
16. Bone Soup
In Bone Soup: A Spooky, Tasty, Tale, three witches bring together a community of spooky characters to make a delicious soup! It’s a cute story about giving, sharing, and taking one small thing and turning it into something huge!
17. Click, Clack, Boo!
In this Halloween version, the barnyard animals are not trying to drive Farmer Brown crazy (very unlike Click Clack MOO), they want him to be part of their festivities! But Farmer Brown is scared of Halloween, so he tries to hide. Can the animals get him to come to their party? In Click, Clack, Boo! kids will enjoy making the sound effects throughout the story and also seeing what costumes the farm animals chose!
18. Big Pumpkin
There once was a witch who had a craving for pumpkin pie at Halloween, so she grew the biggest pumpkin she could! Except there was a problem. She couldn’t get the pumpkin to come off of the vine to make the pie! With the help of some popular Halloween friends, they work together to try and get the pumpkin free, and what a special treat they end up with! Big Pumpkin is a fun, story that teaches cooperation, sharing ideas, and showing gratitude.
19. Zombelina
Zombelina loves dancing and dreams of being a ballerina. When she finally gets the opportunity, stage fright takes over and there’s only one thing that can get her through. A warm tale of the importance of family and how they seem to always make everything better… no matter how kooky they might be!
20. Creepy Pair of Underwear
In this incredibly silly follow-up to Creepy Carrots, Jasper the rabbit begs his mom for a special pair of creepy, glow-in-the-dark underpants. She warns him they might be too creepy, but he is adamant he needs them. He then realizes maybe they are a little too creepy, so he tries everything to get rid of them. But they KEEP. COMING. BACK. The moral of Creepy Pair of Underwear could be: be careful what you ask for…. but really, it’s just a super funny book to read, especially for Halloween!
21. The Hallo-Wiener
In, The Hallo-Wiener, children will love the adorable Oscar – a sweet Dachshund pup who wants nothing more than to be something extra spooky for Halloween, so the other dogs will stop making fun of him and calling him “Wiener Dog”. When his mom surprises him with a special hot dog costume, it could not be further from scary – but it ends up helping Oscar have one super, treat-filled Halloween! This packet of Hallo-Wiener Craft and Activities from Teacher’s Pay Teachers makes a fun companion to the story for preschool through 2nd grade.
22. Creepy Carrots
Creepy Carrots! is a silly story about Jasper the rabbit who looooves eating carrots! And maybe a little too much because one day they start coming after him… or so he thinks? If you’re trying to get your child to eat more carrots, this might not be the book for them. But if you’re looking for a funny story about perspective and not overindulging, this is a great choice! And remind your kids to go easy on their Halloween treats, or they just might come to life!
23. We’re Going on a Spooky Ghost Hunt
In this StoryPlay book by Scholastic, We’re Going on a Spooky Ghost Hunt, gives children a chance to read and play! The story provides prompts and actions for hunting ghosts that kids get to act out while the story is read. I like to recreate the obstacles from the story in different rooms of my house, so it feels like we are going on a real hunt. These stories are great for kids who can’t sit still for long or have a lot of energy to burn and need to keep moving. You can also find song versions of Going on a Ghost Hunt (or Monster Hunt) on Amazon Music or YouTube. The Kiboomers are a music group that make a ton of fun songs for kids!
24. There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bat
Similar to the old mummy who swallowed a spider, There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat story follows a little old lady with an appetite for all things Halloween! Goofy and repetitive with rhymes, it gets kids thinking about what the old lady could possibly eat next. And you won’t believe the finale at the end!
25. Little Boo
Little Boo is a sweet little pumpkin seed who tries and tries to be scary for Halloween but he’s just too sweet. No matter what he tries, he can’t scare anyone! His friend, the wind, tells him to be patient but waiting is hard. Little Boo can’t wait to grow up to be a big pumpkin, but will he even be scary then? This story is perfect for the little one who is trying so hard to be a big kid!
26. Five Little Pumpkins
We really enjoy the Five Little Pumpkins book (and song) at Halloween! Kids love making voices for each pumpkin and it also gets them moving and rolling around. Listen to the Five Little Pumpkin’s song by the Kiboomers on YouTube. We also love this Five Little Pumpkins Craftivity with Stick Puppets from Teacher’s Pay Teachers that really brings the Five Little Pumpkin’s to life!
27. Crankenstein
Crankenstein is a cute story about the things that can make us a little cranky and one sure way to change a bad mood. I love this story for young kids who are learning emotions and how to deal with big ones like anger and frustration. This book makes for good, open conversation about the things that make us a little Crankenstein and gets kids talking about the ways we can change our moods.
Get our printable Frankenstein Make a Face Mat to pair with this book! Just print the mat on cardstock paper and laminate it (or use one of these dry erase sleeves). Then get out some googly eyes, Play-Doh, pipe cleaners, or other craft supplies and have your child make the different faces of Crankenstein throughout the story.
Also use the mat to have them make the face of how they are feeling today – this is a great morning activity to start the day!
Download the FREE Frankenstein Make a Face mat HERE.
For even more Frankenstein fun, add in this adorable shape matching activity!
28. Pumpkin Jack
Pumpkin Jack explains the life-cycle of a pumpkin that makes kids actually look forward to their Jack-O-Lantern friend turning to mush after Halloween! Looking to turn this into a science lesson? Check out Little Bins for Little Hands Pumpkin Life Cycle and Activity Set for some great pumpkin science activities that go perfect with Pumpkin Jack.
29. The Night Before Halloween
I really love all of Natasha Wing’s “The Night Before…” books but this Halloween version was a really fun read because it tells a story of how the monsters prepare for human trick-or-treaters and the planning that goes into their monster Halloween party. Read The Night Before Halloween on October 30th. Then on Halloween, throw a Boo Brunch as mentioned on our list of 31 Super Fun Halloween Activities!
30. Ten Timid Ghosts
Ten Timid Ghosts is cute tale of a witch who scares ten ghosts out of a haunted house that will teach your young reader to count backwards from ten! And then practice counting forward from 1 – 10 once the ghosts chase the witch out of their house!
31. How to Catch a Witch
Kids have so much fun with these How To Catch… books. They love seeing what kinds of silly or clever traps the children set and how close they come to catching a character! How to Catch a Witch is just like the others: the children don’t end up actually catching the witch. But unlike the others, the children do catch up with her and get to be part of the most EPIC Halloween party!
After you finish this story check out our Halloween number matching game with a few witches you CAN catch!
Happy Hallo-Reading!