Is it just me or does having kids suddenly make you as giddy as, well, a kid, when it comes to Halloween? I’m that crazy mom that scours stores for the perfect skeleton pajamas, frequents the Target dollar spot to stock up on festive “necessities,” and brainstorms clever costume ideas while laying in bed at night. (They’re still considered clever if you copy the idea straight from Pinterest, right?) Yet my favorite way to gear up for the October 31st holiday is by collecting and reading Halloween books with my kids. There’s nothing like a good children’s book full of pumpkins, witches, goblins and ghouls to get you in the spooky spirit, and today I’m sharing our 10 favorites.
1. Five Little Pumpkins – My daughter loved this book when she was one and still asks to read it now as a three-year-old. It teaches counting with a fun little rhyme that your kids (and you) will have memorized in no time!
2. The Night Before Halloween – A spooky spin on The Night Before Christmas, this book tells the story of monsters preparing for trick-or-treaters on Halloween night. If you’ve got a little Halloween lover on your hands, they’ll surely enjoy the lineup of ghouls, goblins, witches and vampires.
3. Where is Baby’s Pumpkin? – Both of my kids have a thing for Karen Katz’s lift-the-flap books, which is evident by the number of flaps I’ve repaired the past few years! Even though we all know where that silly pumpkin is hiding, they still enjoy the hunt!
4. Goodnight Goon – If your kids love Goodnight Moon, they will totally fall for this not-so-scary spin on the classic tale. It’s chock full of details, which makes it easy to discover new things every time you read it.
5. The Biggest Pumpkin Surprise Ever – Here’s another lift-the-flap book full of fall goodness. My daughter loves seeing what’s hidden behind all of the little flaps and counting the number of pumpkins on each page. Plus, who doesn’t love tiny mice in Halloween costumes?
6. Just Say Boo! – This book is one of my very favorites because it gets kids involved and it teaches them how to deal with any spooky situations they might encounter on Halloween. “If the ghosts in the trees wobble wobble your knees, what do you say?” “BOO!”
7. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything – Here’s another fun story that’ll get your kiddos participating by encouraging actions with the words. Follow along with the little old lady and the scarecrow that’s following her!
8. Llama Llama Trick or Treat – Like the rest of the Llama Llama books, this one is short and sweet, but still a favorite in our house. My 3-year-old has it memorized and likes to “read” it to her little brother.
9. Big Pumpkin – How many spooky creatures does it take to get one big pumpkin off the vine? The kids will love seeing the ghosts and goblins try their best all for the sake of pumpkin pie!
10. Halloween Hustle – What’s not to love about a dancing skeleton in a pumpkin shirt? There are a few bumps in the road (literally!) but he makes it to the Halloween dance contest and even finds a new friend.
One tip for managing your Halloween book collection is to keep it stored away somewhere until about a month before the holiday. The books will feel like new to your kids, plus it’s a great way to officially kick off the Halloween season!
Happy reading!
