19 Best Halloween Children's Books You Must Read Aloud This Year

Gather the little ones for spine-tingling storytime with these 19 must-read Halloween picture books.

Book list · 19 titles Family scares

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About this

A parents' roundup of 19 Halloween children's books worth reading aloud, drawn from one mom's experience with three young kids. Each entry names the book and author, describes the story, and notes why it works for toddlers, preschoolers, or early readers. Buy links to Amazon are provided for every title, along with age-fit and read-aloud advice.

The list

Eek! Halloween!

Sandra Boynton. Short, funny must-have for toddlers; author's 2-year-old memorized and 'read' it back.

5-Minute Halloween Stories

Disney stories, ideal bedtime reading; kids' favorites were Tiana's Ghost and Wreck-It Ralph: Tricky Treats.

Duck & Goose Honk! Quack! Boo!

Tad Hills. Duck and Goose trick-or-treat, hear of a swamp monster; not-so-scary ending kids enjoy.

Five Black Cats

Patricia Hegarty. Rhyming board book following five cats; kids count and find cats each page.

Little Blue Truck's Halloween

Alice Schertle. Rhyming toddler book with lift-the-flaps revealing disguised animals on each page.

Click, Clack, Boo

Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin. Farmer Brown dislikes Halloween; farm animals help him find the fun.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything

Linda Williams. Engaging fall tale; caution advised since it includes being chased by pumpkin and clothing.

Inside A House That Is Haunted

Alyssa Satin Capucilli. Repetitive text and rhythm for beginner readers; silly surprise ending to guess.

Spooky Pookie

Sandra Boynton. Small board book; Pookie tries costumes that itch or feel too hot before choosing.

Bonaparte Falls Apart

Margery Cuyler. Skeleton story with friend and Halloween characters; themes of friendship, problem solving, overcoming fears.

T. Rex Trick-or-Treats

Lois G. Grambling. Dinosaur-themed Halloween story; T. Rex can't find any costume scary enough.

Go Away, Big Green Monster

Ed Emberley. Interactive monster book (not strictly Halloween); puts child in charge to conquer fears.

Ten Timid Ghosts

Jennifer O'Connell. Rhyming counting book counting backward from ten as a witch scares ghosts out.

Room on the Broom

Julia Donaldson. Witch befriends animals who find her lost items, then face a hungry dragon.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat

Lucille Colandro. Silly series entry; old lady swallows bones, a wizard, a ghost and more.

On Halloween Night

Harriet Ziefert. Rhyming, repetition-building story of a young girl assembling her Halloween costume; great for young readers.

The Spooky Wheels on the Bus

J. Elizabeth Mills. Counting twist on classic song; can be read or sung to the tune.

I Spy

Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick. Look-and-find books: I Spy Spooky Night (all Halloween) and I Spy A Pumpkin (early reader, one Halloween page).

Happy Halloween, Biscuit!

Alyssa Satin Capucilli. Lift-the-flap story of a girl and puppy Biscuit's first trick-or-treating night.