Only three days to Halloween, and I’m in a spooky mood. So today, I want to share my top five Halloween picture books! From creepy to spooky, from silly to plain old fun, Halloween books can delight readers old and young. With the number of great Halloween picture books out there, this list barely scratches the surface, but maybe you’ll find a fun new book to delight your Halloween lovers out there.
On to the list! First up . . .
THE SPOOKY OLD TREE by Stan & Jan Berenstain
In this super fun (and super spare of words) story, three bears get their brave on to explore a spooky old tree. It has the perfect amount of scare factor for both young and old readers.
PLUS, not only is this book fun to listen to, it is fun to read! You can’t help but get out your spooky voice and start making all the sound effects. I so highly recommend this book, you might just have to make a trek to the Himalayas to get it.
Next up is the super creepy CREEP CARROTS by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown.
Jasper Rabbit loves carrots. He eats them for lunch, he eats them for snacks, he eats them every chance he gets. And his favorite carrots come from Crackenhopper Field. But when Jasper starts seeing carrots everywhere . . . creepy carrots . . . Jasper is no longer a fan, and something must be done.
As an author, I totally wish I would have thought of this. So clever, so fun, and SO CREEPY! The pictures brilliantly capture the dark and creepy atmosphere that such a book requires. Go read this one! You won’t regret it . . . unless you, too, start seeing creepy carrots everywhere!
EVEN MONSTERS NEED HAIRCUTS by Matthew McElligott is a favorite at our house. Technically, it is not a Halloween book, but it fits right in
Once a month, on the night of the full moon, a young barber sneaks off to his father’s barber shop to follow in his dad’s footsteps. All night long he snips and snaps, buzzes, and gels his client’s hair to perfection.
I love the hilarious ending, and the whole thing is just monstrously clever. I giggle right along with my kids when we read this together. (And I giggle all by myself when I read it just for me!😉) You don’t want to miss this one!
A fun new favorite is SAMURAI SCARECROW: A VERY NINJA HALLOWEEN by Rubin Pingk.
Yukio loves Halloween, and he loves his little sister, but he is tired of her always copying him! From jack-o-lanterns to trick-or-treating routes, his sister is always right there in the way. But when Yukio goes too far, can he make it up to her? Or has he brought on the curse of the Samurai Scarecrow?
I can totally relate to Yukio in this super fun story, but I feel so bad for his little sister. I don’t want to spoil any endings, but this book takes some fun twists and turns, and let’s just say that Yukio definitely learns his lesson. This book was delightfully surprising, and a perfect Halloween book.
And of course, no list about spooky books could ever be complete without THE MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK STARRING LOVABLE, FURRY OLD GROVER by Jon Stone and illustrated by Michael J. Smollin.
When Grover learns that there is a monster at the end of the book, he does everything he can to stop the reader from getting to the end of the book. From asking nicely, to building walls, to begging on hands and knees, but a determined reader can be hard to stop. What’s a Grover to do?
This is another one that is technically not a Halloween book. But with a monster at the end of it, how can it not be perfect for such a holiday? My mom read this to me when I was a kid, and I read this to my own kids when they were younger, and sometimes, I read it just because I can. This book is pretty much perfect in my estimation, and if you haven’t read it yet . . . WHY NOT??!
Voila! My top five Halloween picture books. Now, how about you? What are your favorite Halloween books?
From the annals of My Halloweens Past:
First, I want to thank all you great people who have stopped in and commented . . . and apologize for not responding*. Life has been hectically crazy here. I’m sure most of you know all about craziness. Especially the week of Halloween, which brings me to the REAL purpose of this post: The results!
Trick or Treat?
Total votes: 23
Trick: 3 votes; 13%
Treat: 19 votes; 83%
Depends on who’s tricking: 1 vote; 4%
Okay, no real surprises here. Who wouldn’t like a treat? However, who said the trick had to be mean? SO . . . I voted for Trick, because I am playing a trick on all of you.
Random.org spit out a number, and the number was Old Kitty’s. Just send me your address within 24 hours if you dare, and I will send you something that is NOT a treat (bwa ha ha!).
If you miss the 24-hour mark (aka, 7 AM Nov. 4), Random.org will choose a second someone and so on and so forth. Even if I have your address, you still have to e-mail me! (see that “Contact Me” tab up there? Use it!)
*If you have your email address connected to your account, I reply by email to your comment
Today I am NOT going to conclude the chocolate chip vs. sugar cookies debate, so you can still go vote. But when I had this lightbulb moment, I couldn’t resist. So today’s debate?
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(Yes, the cowgirl is me) |
“The first rule of the game is to not get killed by the bad guys. Cause if you get killed, you’re dead. And that’s bad.”
Happy Halloween everyone! Have a great weekend, and don’t get sick eating too much candy. (It’s the mom in me. I have to say it!) 😀
I know I said I’d follow up on the guessing from Monday’s post, but I’ll do that Friday. Promise.
So, I have this yearly tradition. Just before Halloween, I break out the sewing machine and sew a costume for one of my kids. The others get store-bought, because one is all I can handle.
The thing is, I am no seamstress. Like at all. I avoided sewing like the plague. Even the bookmark I had to make in Home Ec didn’t look like a bookmark. Pitiful, I know.
Then three years ago, my friend was doing her annual frenzy of sewing FIVE costumes. Amazing! But dangitall, it looked fun. So with the promise of help (that I could call her with every little question, no matter how stupid), I took the leap. It took me a month to make it, but here are the fruits:
Yes, yes, I know, you’re all impressed. 😉
This tradition isn’t just about saving money on a costume (because it costs me more to sew one than to just buy it). It’s about reminding myself that I can do the seemingly impossible when I put my mind to it.
What impossible feats are you accomplishing?