Kids BooksNo. 7386 · The 2026 edition
6 delightfully creepy books for kids for Halloween and long, long after. If you dare.
Discover 6 spine-tingling children's books perfect for Halloween and beyond.
Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at coolmompicks.com.
A curated list of six delightfully eerie books for young readers, offering chills and thrills that last long after the Halloween season ends.
About this
A curated roundup of six creepy books for kids, chosen so they can be enjoyed beyond Halloween as well. The picks run from gently funny-scary picture books to genuinely unsettling reads best saved for older kids. Each entry summarizes the story, the art style, and who it suits.
Tips
- The books were picked specifically so they are not tied to Halloween and can be read and enjoyed all year.
- The titles range from funny and only slightly spooky to downright scary, so some may not suit bedtime.
- All the titles can be found via the site's affiliate Amazon links or at a local indie bookstore.
- The Spider and the Fly is Mary Howitt's classic cautionary tale, updated by Tony DiTerlizzi in 2002; Liz says her kids read it all year long.
- What There Is Before There Is Anything There has no comforting "everything will be okay" ending, so save it for older kids who grew up on Goosebumps.
- The Gashlycrumb Tinies is not really for young kids and probably not for every adult either; teens may enjoy its dark comedy.
The list
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01
Creepy Carrots!
Jasper the bunny steals carrots; the carrots follow him. Film-noir illustrations make it funny-creepy.
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02
Fright Club
Monsters can't be scary; squirrels and rabbits teach them how to terrify kids.
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03
Sticky Monsters
Wordless collection of monster drawings made on sticky notes; Edward Gorey vibe; sparks kids' storytelling.
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04
The Spider and the Fly 2002
Cautionary tale updated 2002 with dark black-and-white art. Lesson: don't be fooled by flattery.
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05
What There Is Before There Is Anything There
Liniers' nightmare tale of creatures staring from shadows; no happy ending. Best for older kids.
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06
The Gashlycrumb Tinies
Gorey's dark alphabet poem kills Victorian children; like American Horror Story before its time.
