Top Halloween Books For Young Children

Candy, costumes & carving pumpkins... kids of all ages love Halloween.  But we don’t want to expose our youngest to things that are too scary (see this great article.) These books offer slightly-scary fun appropriate for your little monsters.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams (Harper Collins, 2002.)  Repetitive text, lots of opportunities for movement while reading and a feisty main character make this a great choice for ages 3 & up.  When we read this in October, kids ask for it the rest of the school year, so you know it has got to be good! 

Ghost Eats It All! By Janee Trasler (Little Brown, 2003.)  Not much longer than a greeting card, this book teaches prediction skills and emotional intelligence to kids 2-5, plus it will have you laughing each and every time you read it!  This is the gold standard of funny Halloween books!

A Dark, Dark Tale by Ruth Brown (Red Fox, 1981.)  Preschool & primary will love this atmospheric picture book. It's great for experiencing print: have your child spot the black cat on every page and guess where it is going next. Talk about how setting (night in an old, abandoned house) and dark pictures contribute to the scary mood.   This is a build-up book that most 4 - 5 year olds & up enjoy without fear.

Hallo-wiener by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic, 1999.)  Oscar the dachshund is bullied because of his size and embarrassing hot dog Halloween costume.  But he rises above (figuratively and literally) in this non-scary Halloween-themed book , appropriate for ages 4 & up.

Tell Me A Scary Story… But Not Too Scary! by Carl Reiner (Hachette, 2003.)  As the title says, this picture book titillates but does not frighten.  A boy sneaks into his neighbor’s house to return an item and a chain of misunderstandings & pranks give a slightly-spooky scare.  James Bennett’s illustrations are just perfect: slightly gruesome yet oddly funny.  See if you can find the CD-version where Reiner reads the tale himself over great sound effects! Ages 4-up.

Honorable Mentions

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson (Penguin, 2003.)  When a wind blows Witch’s hat, ribbons and wand off her broom, animals help her out… will they all fit on her broom for a ride? This light rhyming book never gets too scary. Ages 3-5.

Where is Baby’s Pumpkin? by Karen Katz (Little, Simon, 2006.)  This board book is just perfect for toddlers: baby searches the house for her pumpkin and finds cats, candy apples, and sparkly witch hats along the way.  Karen Katz has written a whole series of Baby board books, each one is a child-pleaser. Ages 0-5.