Looking for the best children’s books about Halloween? Look no further! These children’s Halloween books are sure to be favorites for your kids or students. Plenty of spooky books that are some of the best selling children’s Halloween books of all time.
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Check out the books:
Creepy Carrots
Jasper Rabbit loves carrots—especially Crackenhopper Field carrots. He eats them on the way to school. He eats them going to Little League and walking home. Until the day the carrots start following him…or are they? A fun creepy book for Halloween also available in Spanish as Las zanahorias maleficas.
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Creepy Pair of Underwear
Jasper Rabbit is NOT a little bunny anymore. He’s not afraid of the dark, and he’s definitely not afraid of something as silly as underwear. But when the lights go out, suddenly his new big rabbit underwear glows in the dark. A ghoulish, greenish glow. If Jasper didn’t know any better he’d say his undies were a little, well, creepy. Jasper’s not scared obviously, he’s just done with creepy underwear. But after trying everything to get rid of them, they keep coming back! This is the sequel to Creepy Carrots, and Aaron Reynolds actually got the idea for this book from a student who thought it would be funny to have a book about underwear. Also available in Spanish as Los calzoncillos maleficos.
Get the lesson plan and activities for Creepy Pair of Underwear HERE
Leo: A Ghost Story
You would like being friends with Leo. He likes to draw, he makes delicious snacks, and most people can’t even see him. Because Leo is also a ghost. When a new family moves into his home and Leo’s efforts to welcome them are misunderstood, Leo decides it is time to leave and see the world. That is how he meets Jane, a kid with a tremendous imagination and an open position for a worthy knight. That is how Leo and Jane become friends. And that is when their adventures begin. An excellent book especially since it is also available in Spanish as Leo: Un cuento de fantasmas.
Get the lesson plan and activities for Leo: A Ghost Story HERE
The Halloween Kid
When tricks interfere with treats on a suburban street, it’s up to the Halloween Kid to save the night. With his trusty stick horse, mysterious Lone Ranger mask, and contagious catchphrase, “Yee-Ha-lloween!” he is able to foil TP-crazy mummies, pumpkin-sucking vampires, and tropical werewolves. Then some Goodie Goblins come to town and threaten the very existence of the holiday. It’s the Kid himself who needs saving, and the neighborhood teams up to do just that, proving that even heroes can use some help now and then.
Ol’ Clip-Clop
This is a really great book for upper elementary! Mounting his horse, cold-hearted John Leep smiles as he anticipates evicting the widow Mayes for nonpayment of rent. When she comes up with the rent after all, Leep, unwilling to be disappointed, knocks her coins to the floor and hides one of them in his boot. The widow will be evicted in the morning; but as he departs, Leep is pursued by an unseen stalker. As Leep rides faster, so does his pursuer–clippity-cloppity, clippity-cloppity–until Leep reaches his home. Is John Leep safe at last or is Ol’ Clip-Clop gonna SWALLOW HIM WHOLE?!!!!
The Dark
This is a really fun book to read with the lights off and with a flashlight. Laszlo is afraid of the dark. The dark lives in the same house as Laszlo. Mostly, though, the dark stays in the basement and doesn’t come into Lazslo’s room. But one night, it does. This is the story of how Laszlo stops being afraid of the dark. Also available in Spanish titled La oscuridad. In addition to being one of my favorite children’s books about Halloween, it’s also a really great book about bravery and facing your fears.
Get the lesson plan and activities for The Dark HERE
The Widow’s Broom
Some of Minna Shaw’s neighbors don’t trust her clever broom. “It’s dangerous,” they say. But Minna appreciates the broom’s help. She enjoys its quiet company. But one day two children get taught a well-deserved lesson by the broom. For her neighbors, this is proof of the broom’s evil spirit. Minna is obligated to give up her dear companion. Fun for all grades, but upper grades can really look at the message the author is trying to teach.
The Tailypo
A ghost story based on a folktale that is not for those afraid of what may be under the bed. A strange varmint haunts the woodsman who lopped off his tail and had it for dinner. I have not read this book yet, but it was suggested by a member of the Picture Book Brain community library media specialist. If anyone knows books, it’s an LMS!
Crankenstein
BEWARE OF CRANKENSTEIN! He’s a little monster of crankiness that no one can destroy! MEHHRRRR!!! He may look like any ordinary boy, but when faced with a rainy day, a melting popsicle, or an early bedtime, one little boy transforms into a mumbling, grumbling Crankenstein. When Crankenstein meets his match in a fellow Crankenstein, the results could be catastrophic–or they could be just what he needs to brighten his day!
Miss Nelson is Missing!
Okay, maybe you’re wondering how this is one of the best children’s books about Halloween. Hear me out: The teacher dresses up in a costume to fool the kids into being good. One year, I went an entire day wearing all dark clothes, bought a cheap pair of glasses and referred to myself as Mr. Swamp. The kids got a kick out of it.
The students don’t proffer a shred of respect for their good-natured teacher Miss Nelson, but when the witchy substitute Miss Viola Swamp appears on the scene, they start to regret their own wicked ways. This book is also available in Spanish as La senorita Nelson ha desaparecido.
Get the lesson plan and activities for Miss Nelson is Missing HERE
She Made a Monster
I really like this book for upper elementary kids who have probably heard of Frankenstein. On a stormy night two hundred years ago, a young woman sat in a dark house and dreamed of her life as a writer. She longed to follow the path her own mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, had started down, but young Mary Shelley had yet to be inspired. This is also an excellent book for Women’s History Month to celebrate the creator of the science fiction genre!
As the night wore on, Mary grew more anxious. The next day was the deadline that her friend, the poet Lord Byron, had set for writing the best ghost story. After much talk of science and the secrets of life, Mary had gone to bed exhausted and frustrated that nothing she could think of was scary enough. But as she drifted off to sleep, she dreamed of a man that was not a man. He was a monster.
Get the lesson plan and activities for She Made a Monster HERE
Another interesting story about Mary Shelley and how she created Frankenstein. A riveting and atmospheric picture book about the young woman who wrote one of the greatest horror novels ever written and one of the first works of science fiction, Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein is an exploration of the process of artistic inspiration that will galvanize readers and writers of all ages.
Get the lesson plan and activities for Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein HERE
Stumpkin
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 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. As Halloween night approaches, more and more of his fellow pumpkins leave, but poor Stumpkin remains. Will anyone give Stumpkin his chance to shine?
Get the lesson plan and activities for Stumpkin HERE
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
Once upon a time, there was a little old lady who was not afraid of anything! But one autumn night, while walking in the woods, the little old lady heard . . . clomp, clomp, shake, shake, clap, clap. And the little old lady who was not afraid of anything had the scare of her life! A classic children’s book about Halloween.
The Spider and the Fly
‘Will you walk into my parlor,’ said the Spider to the Fly…”
is easily one of the most recognized and quoted first lines in all of English verse. But do you have any idea how the age-old tale of the Spider and the Fly ends? Join celebrated artist Tony DiTerlizzi as he — drawing inspiration from one of his loves, the classic Hollywood horror movies of the 1920s and 1930s — shines a cinematic spotlight on Mary Howitt’s warning, written to her own children about those who use sweet words to hide their not-so-sweet intentions.
Room on the Broom
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?
Too Many Pumpkins
Rebecca Estelle has hated pumpkins ever since she was a girl when pumpkins were often the only food her family had. When an enormous pumpkin falls off a truck and smashes in her yard, she shovels dirt over the pieces and forgets about them. But those slimy pumpkin smithereens sprout up in autumn, and Rebecca Estelle finds a sea of pumpkins in her garden. I have yet to read this book, but it was suggested by one of the Picture Book Brainiacs, so you know it must be good!
The Haunted Ghoul Bus
I hopped on board by accident on fine October school day. I’d no idea that I would have one very freaky ghoul day! I still haven’t read this book yet, but it was recommended by a fellow Picture Book Brainiac.
BEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS ABOUT HALLOWEEN
Is there a children’s book about Halloween that I missed? One that you love that you think should be on this list? Let me know in the comments below!
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Hi! Great list! I would add a book called The Hallo-Weiner–it’s my favorite Halloween book about an adorable dachshund who has ‘friend’ troubles but becomes a hero on Halloween! GREAT book by Dav Pilkey (older book, before Dogman) 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion, Lori! I’ll check it out!