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Halloween Picture Books
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Witches, ghosts, black cats and jack-o-lanterns! This collection of Halloween picture books features some frights, and lots of fun.
Updated October 2, 2022
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How to Make Friends with a Ghost
Rebecca Green
Paper Book
What do you do when you meet a ghost? One: Provide the ghost with some of its favorite snacks, like mud tarts and earwax truffles. Two: Tell your ghost bedtime stories (ghosts love to be read to). Three: Make sure no one mistakes your ghost for whipped cream or a marshmallow when you aren't looking!...
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Los Gatos Black on Halloween
Marisa Montes
Paper Book
Follow los monstruos and los esqueletos to the Halloween party Under October'sluna, full and bright, the monsters are throwing a ball in the Haunted Hall.Las brujas come on their broomsticks.Los muertos rise from their coffins to join in the fun.Los...
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Just Say Boo!
Susan Hood
Paper Book
If three dinosaurs roar when you open your door, what do you say "Boo!" of course! In this charmingly spooky story by Susan Hood, little trick-or-treaters learn just what to say in every Halloween situation. From rattling bones to ghostly footsteps, Susan captures all the...
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Zen Ghosts
Jon J. Muth
Paper Book
Stillwater, the beloved Zen panda, now in his own Apple TV+ original series!It's Halloween. The trees are ablaze in fiery reds. Excited children don colorful costumes. And there's mystery and fun around every corner!When Addy, Michael, and Karl finish trick-or-treating, their bags are...
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The Bones of Fred McFee
Eve Bunting
Paper Book
In this rhythmic story, an unsuspecting brother and sister bring a toy skeleton home from the harvest fair. They name it Fred McFee and hang it from a sycamore tree. Soon, eerie things begin to happen: The rooster disappears. The hens won't lay. Most terrifying of all, Fred's bones dance...
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The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything
Linda Williams
Paper Book
"A splendiferous Halloween story." --The Horn Book "A great purchase for Halloween or any time of year." --School Library Journal (starred review) Once upon a time, there was a little old lady who was not afraid of anything! But one autumn night, while walking in the woods, the...
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Bone Soup: A Spooky, Tasty Tale
Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Paper Book
"A delight...Just the right mix of creepy and humorous, treading the line between scary and fun." --Kirkus Reviews "Plenty of tasty vocabulary...As ghoulishly bright as a jack-o'-lantern." --Publishers Weekly Three little witches...
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The Hallo-Wiener
Dav Pilkey
Paper Book
From Dav Pilkey, creator of the New York Times bestselling Dog Man and Captain Underpants series, comes Oscar, a little dog with a big bullying problem.Oscar is a little dog with a big problem -- he gets more tricks than treats because other dogs tease him all the time. But one brave act on...
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Creepy Carrots!
Aaron Reynolds
Paper Book
In this Caldecott Honor-winning picture book, The Twilight Zone comes to the carrot patch as a rabbit fears his favorite treats are out to get him. Jasper Rabbit loves carrots--especially Crackenhopper Field carrots. He eats them on the way to school. He eats...
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Big Pumpkin
Erica Silverman
Paper Book
A little bat uses brains over brawn in this not-so-scary Halloween picture book. The witch has grown the biggest pumpkin ever, and now she wants to make herself a pumpkin pie for Halloween. But the pumpkin is so big she can't get it off the vine. It's so big the...
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Arthur's Halloween
Marc Brown
Paper Book
Arthur overcomes his fear of Halloween when he has to follow his sister into a spooky house that everyone thinks is inhabited by a witch.
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Boris and Bella
Carolyn Crimi
Paper Book
Bella Legrossi is the messiest monster in all of Booville. Her slime is the slimiest and her grime is the grimiest. Alas, she is neighbors with Boris Kleanitoff, a persnickety ghoul so tidy he vacuums his vampire bats. What could ever bring these two together? It will take a...
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Room on the Broom
Julia Donaldson
Paper Book
This fun family read-aloud is the perfect way to start Halloween celebrations with a sweet-but-slightly-spooky story that makes it an ideal gift book The witch and her cat couldn't be happier, flying through the sky on their broomstick-until the witch drops her hat, then her bow,...
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Space Case
Edward Marshall
Paper Book
For use in schools and libraries only. A visitor from outer space lands unnoticed on Earth at Halloween, goes trick-or-treating with some children, and visits a classroom.
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Cranberry Halloween
Wende Devlin
Paper Book
The citizens of Cranberryport need to raise money for a new dock after theirs is destroyed in a storm. Almost everyone volunteers to help, with Mr. Whiskers offering to keep the money that's raised in his grandfather's moneybox. Cranky Mr. Grape refuses to contribute and insists it's a mistake to...
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The Pomegranate Witch
Denise Doyen
Paper Book
When a scary old tree blooms with the most beautiful pomegranates ever seen, the neighborhood kids' mouths water with anticipation. But the tree isn't theirs--and it has a protector! So begins the Pomegranate War, a fun, rollicking, rhyming tale of a battle between the sly, plucky young rascals and...
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Clifford’s Halloween
Norman Bridwell
Paper Book
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The Widow's Broom
Chris Van Allsburg
Paper Book
A widow finds herself in possession of an extraordinary broom left by a witch who fell into the widow's garden.
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Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich
Adam Rex
Paper Book
Being a monsternbsp;isn't all frightening villagers and sucking blood.nbsp;Monsters have their trials, too. Poor Frankenstein's cupboard is bare, Wolfman is in need of some household help, and it's best not to get started on Dracula’s hygiene issues. What could be scarier? nbsp;nbsp...
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The Soup Bone
Tony Johnston
Paper Book
Looking for a soup bone on Halloween, a little old lady finds a hungry skeleton instead.
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The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat
Stan Berenstain
Paper Book
The Berenstain Bear cubs have an adventure on Halloween night that proves Mother's adage, "Appearances can be deceiving."
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Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat
Doreen Cronin
Paper Book
Will the barnyard animals trick--or treat--Farmer Brown? Find out in this Halloween tale from the #1 New York Times bestselling creators of Click, Clack, Moo. Farmer Brown does not like Halloween. So he draws the shades, puts on his footy pajamas, and climbs into...
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The Little Kitten
Nicola Killen
Paper Book
"Lucky kitten, lucky readers: a sweet, special Halloween story." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "This gentle story is a sweet option for a Halloween read-aloud and will please young feline fans any time of the year." --Booklist From beloved...
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Happy Halloween, Witch's Cat!
Harriet Muncaster
Paper Book
A little girl believes her mother is a good witch, and she is a special witch's cat. Together, they're out to find the perfect Halloween costume. But what could be better than being a witch's cat To find out, Witch's Cat and her mom go on a search through a truly amazing...
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Franklin's Halloween
Paulette Bourgeois
Paper Book
Everyone's favorite turtle is back--and all dressed up for Halloween fun! What does a turtle look like when he's made up as Frankenstein? Children will be delighted to see for themselves as they follow Franklin to a Halloween party, complete with games, a parade, and a haunted house. Full color.
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I Spy Spooky Night: A Book of Picture Riddles
Jean Marzollo
Paper Book
This "I Spy" book takes children through a spooky old house at night where they search for spooky items. Children look for bats, lizards, frogs, owls and tombstones. From its rickety gate to its cobwebbed attic, this haunted house contains 13 spooky environments. Readers will marvel at Walter Wick's...
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The Halloween House
Erica Silverman
Paper Book
"In a hilarious spoof of the counting classic Over in the Meadow, Silverman deposits two escaped convicts in a haunted house, and then lets the inhabitants scare the escapees back to prison. Cheerfully rendered ghoulies accompany each delightfully understated rhyme...A hit if read aloud or read...
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Froggy's Halloween
Jonathan London
Paper Book
Froggy tries to find just the right costume for Halloween, and although his trick-or-treating does not go as planned, he enjoys himself anyway. Color illustrations throughout.
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Pumpkin Cat
Ann Turner
Paper Book
On a stormy night in October, a ginger cat finds refuge in the "Returned Books" bin of the local library. Rescued by two kind librarians, Pumpkin Cat makes a home for herself in the large children's room. But the wooden sheep and the sock monkey never talk, and once the librarians leave for the day,...
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Hardly Haunted
Jessie Sima
Paper Book
From the bestselling creator of Not Quite Narwhal comes a delightfully spooky story about an old house who wants to be a home...even if her new family isn't what she expected. House has a problem. She's a little spooky. She's a little cobwebby. Oh, no! What if...
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Ten Spooky Pumpkins
Steve Soenksen
Paper Book
Join celebrated creator Gris Grimly in this spooky countdown, as one little girl ventures out into the night for an unforgettable Halloween adventure!10 little pumpkins, sitting in a line,looking for a cat and they found nine.The wind said SWOOSH and the gate went CREAK.The owl cried...
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Pick a Pumpkin
Patricia Toht
Paper Book
The creators of Pick a Pine Tree are back with a joyful, energetic celebration of a Halloween tradition. Pick a pumpkin from the patch. Tall and lean or short and fat. Vivid orange, ghostly white, or speckled green, might be just right. Pairing a...
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Mrs. McMurphy's Pumpkin
Rick Walton
Paper Book
One morning, a few days before Halloween, Mrs. McMurphy wakes up to find a large pumpkin by her front door. "My mouth is here. I speak to you. When my teeth are here, I'll eat you!" it says with a mischievous grin. Unafraid, Mrs. McMurphy politely places the threatening squash outside. But day after...
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Mr. Pumpkin's Tea Party
Erin Barker
Paper Book
"There's a party at Mr. Pumpkin's tonight. A banquet with friends in the autumn twilight. And at this soiree we'll see and we'll find ghoulish delights of every kind." You are cordially invited to Mr. Pumpkin's Tea Party--a delightfully quirky twist on a counting book, incorporating gorgeous,...
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Boo-La-La Witch Spa
Samantha Berger
Paper Book
Spooky meets silly in this unique Halloween story about a witch's night out at the fa-BOO Witch Spa! Halloween is the most important day of the year for any witch. So when the holiday ends and the witches are tired from tricking and treating, they all head to the fa-boo Witch Spa...
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Rattlebone Rock
Sylvia Andrews
Paper Book
BOOM! CLACKA-CLACK! The skeletons dance And rattle their bones. Ghosts join in With musical moans. Mice squeak by And bats swoop down. The BOOMA beat echoes All through the town. Witches and goblins Make the tombstones Knock. It's time to dance To the Rattlebone Rock!
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Snowmen at Halloween
Caralyn Buehner
Paper Book
The snowmen are getting their Halloween costumes ready for the latest picture book in this New York Times bestselling series. Have you ever built a snowman and discovered the next day that his grin has gotten a little crooked, or his tree-branch arms have moved? And you've...
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Boo! Haiku
Deanna Caswell
Paper Book
Bestselling illustrator Bob Shea and poet Deanna Caswell are back, this time with a haiku book filled with frights that delight. Here's a spooky haiku just for you! broom across the moon pointed hat at the window hair-raising cackle Can you guess who from this...
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Monster School
Kate Coombs
Paper Book
Twilight's here. The death bell rings. Everyone knows what the death bell brings--it's time for class! You're in the place where goblins wail and zombies drool. (That's because they're kindergartners.) Welcome to Monster School. In this entertaining collection of poems, award-winning poet Kate...
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Stumpkin
Lucy Ruth Cummins
Paper Book
From the critically acclaimed author and illustrator of A Hungry Lion comes a unique Halloween story about a stemless pumpkin who dreams of becoming a jack-o-lantern. Stumpkin is the most handsome pumpkin on the block. He's as orange as a traffic cone! Twice as round as a...
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Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet
Diane de Groat
Paper Book
Gilbert's as thrilled as can be with his Martian Space Pilot costume--until it's time to change for the school Halloween parade and he discovers that he's taken the wrong costume bag . . . the one containing his sister's "ballerina" outfit! Full color.
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10 Busy Brooms
Carole Gerber
Paper Book
Celebrate Halloween with this fun and festive counting board book, perfect for fans of Room on the Broom! Young readers will want to fly the night sky with the ten little witches in this bright and adventurous Halloween story. Whether zooming past rattling skeletons,...
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Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat
Tracy C. Gold
Paper Book
An adorably cute Halloween book for children with educational nonfiction elements woven in. A perfect book for kids learning and playing in classrooms, libraries, and at home! Follow along as a young bat takes flight on Halloween night and eats lots of delicious bugs along the way!...
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The Ugly Pumpkin
Dave Horowitz
Paper Book
With looks different than all the others in the pumpkin patch, Ugly Pumpkin is teased by his peers and never gets picked throughout the whole season, but after he leaves the patch and heads out on his own, Ugly Pumpkin discovers that he is special in
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In the Haunted House
Eve Bunting
Paper Book
All we see are two pairs of sneakers, one large, one small, as a little girl and her father tour a dark, mysterious house.
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Witch Mama
Judith Caseley
Paper Book
Jenna celebrates her Halloween birthday by trick-or-treating with her younger brother in the neighborhood and going to a party at school where her mother gives her a special surprise.
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Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins
James Dean
Paper Book
Author and artist James Dean brings us a groovy rendition of the classic favorite children's song "Five Little Pumpkins," sung by cool cat Pete and perfect for Halloween. A New York Times bestselling favorite! Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins is in a sturdy paper-over...
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Halloween Is Coming!
Cal Everett
Paper Book
A fun, rhyming read-aloud Halloween picture book that starts a new holiday tradition. Perfect for kids 4-8 or any young child wanting to celebrate the spookiest season of the year! Marching in the school parade in frightening costumes that we've made; Look around, the signs...
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Halloweena
Miriam Glassman
Paper Book
When crotchety old witch Hepzibah is given a human child to take care of, she's horrified (not a wart on her, poor thing).And when, after years of careful training in witchery, the child, Halloweena, asks for human playmates, Hepzibah is aghast. Nevertheless, she wants to see Halloweena happy, and...
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Duck & Goose: Honk! Quack! Boo!
Tad Hills
Paper Book
It's Halloween in the meadow, and the beloved, classic, and New York Times bestselling feathered friends Duck & Goose go trick-or-treating!Now an animated series, available to stream on Apple TV+! Duck is going as a spooky ghost. Goose is going as a brave superhero. And...
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Fright Club
Ethan Long
Paper Book
This monster mash-up from Geisel winner Ethan Long doles out the laughs and the chills in equal measure. Each year, on Halloween eve, Fright Club meets to go over their plan: Operation Kiddie Scare. Only the scariest of monsters can join Fright Club--Vladimir the Vampire, Fran...
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Boo to You!
Lois Ehlert
Paper Book
The harvest garden is bursting with delicious vegetables, the pumpkins are decorated and lit, and the mice have their costumes ready. Everyone is looking forward to the annual Halloween-night feast. Scary Cat wasn't invited to the party, but he seems to think he's coming anyway. Time for a clever...
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Halloween Poems
Myra Cohn Livingston
Paper Book
Eighteen poems celebrate the holiday of pumpkins, black cats, witches, and ghosts.
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Shake Dem Halloween Bones
W. Nikola-Lisa
Paper Book
It's Halloween night. The city is quiet. The city is still. But as the lights go down, the music comes up - and the guests start to arrive at the hip-hop Halloween ball! And oh, what a party it is. Told in hip-hop rhyming text, L'il Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, Tom Thumb, and all of their fairy...
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Cinderella Skeleton
Robert D. San Souci
Paper Book
Cinderella Skeleton Was everything a ghoul should be: Her nails were yellow; her teeth were green- Foulest in the land was she. Poor Cinderella Skeleton! Her evil stepsisters treat her with scorn and work her from dawn till dusk. But...
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Moonlight: The Halloween Cat
Cynthia Rylant
Paper Book
Softly padding through the darkness, Moonlight explores the world on her favorite night, Halloween. The town and countryside glow with shining stars. The wide yellow moon lights pumpkins, racoons, and children out having fun. . . . Told in eloquently simple, lyrical words, with...
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Halloween Sky Ride
Elizabeth Spurr
Paper Book
As one witch wends her way to the party, a shaky skeleton, a quacky mummy, a jittery jack-o-lantern, and other Halloween haunters want to come too. But can all these guests fit on a single broomstick?
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