Halloween picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. The Retired School Librarian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. These titles are available under my Amazon Storefront under Halloween Picture Books– https://amzn.to/4myjhWo .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
The Zombees
by Justin Colón (Author), Kaly Quarles (Illustrator)
Summary: There is buzzing in the Honey Hills Graveyard. Bees in green? They’re zombees chasing everyone in town on Halloween night. Why and what do they want?
Comments: A fun and not scary Halloween story that would make an excellent read-aloud for preschool – 2nd grade. Spooky at just the right level.
Rhyming text.
The bright illustrations against a black background were created digitally.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Murray’s Howl-o-ween: A Halloween
by E. G. Keller (Author)
Summary: Murray loves the city and was not happy at first to go to the country, where nothing smells or sounds like the city. Everything was new: the town, the pumpkin patch, and the maze. Will this city dog learn to like the country?
Comments: A humorous read-aloud to address being scared of new things and overcoming them.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Chicka Chicka Tricka Treat
by Julien Chung (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: All the letters dress up for Halloween and climb the tree. Suddenly, a ghost comes swishing in, booing, and scaring everyone down the tree. They decide to go back up again and receive a treat.
Comments: This is in the wonderful rhyming and rhythm of the Chicka Chicka books.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
¡Vamos! Let’s Celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos
by Raúl the Third (Author, Illustrator), Elaine Bay (Illustrator)
Summary: Little Lobo and friends dress up to celebrate Halloween by trick-or-treating. Afterward, they help prepare and decorate the cemetery for Dia de Los Muertos.
Comments: Spanish and English words mingle throughout the story. The story is told with traditional text and speech bubbles.
I enjoy the details of the illustrations, which were created using pen and ink on smooth plate Bristol board, with the colors created using Adobe Photoshop.
The back pages have a glossary, A Note From Raúl the Third, and A Dia de los Muertos Activity.
Fantastic to see an illustrator using the front and back endpapers instead of just leaving them white. Absolutely full of details and color.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts
by Annie Sullivan (Author), Paula J. Becker (Illustrator)
Summary: In this retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, a little girl ghoul walks into a haunted house, discovering ghoulash, chairs, and beds.
Comments: There are traditional text and speech bubbles.
The moral of the story shifts from learning not to enter a stranger’s house to this new retelling, which emphasizes making friends with the inhabitants.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
This Year, a Witch!
by Zoey Abbott (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: A little girl shares all of the cute Halloween costumes she has been in the past, but now wants to be something scary–a witch. Her dad helps make the costume and applies her makeup. All is okay until she looks in the mirror.
Comments: I liked how she grew from cutesy costumes to wanting to be spooky.
A fun read-aloud.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Hap-Pea Halloween
by Keith Baker (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: Adorable little peas dressed in various Halloween costumes ask what the reader will be for the holiday, giving several suggestions in fun rhyming and rhythmic verses.
Comments: The illustrations were created in Adobe Photoshop.
I always enjoy seeing more of the happy peas’ world in this series.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.
Lila and the Jack-o’-Lantern: Halloween Comes to America
by Nancy Churnin (Author), Anneli Bray (Illustrator)
Summary: Lila, an Irish immigrant, is on the ship in 1850 with her mother and two siblings on the way to America, where their father waits for them to join him. They talk about a spirit named Jack that visits homes on Halloween night to play pranks. They would carve a turnip and place a glowing coal inside, so Jack sees it and leaves them alone. They wear sheets and knock on doors for sweets. When Lila arrives and sees that there are no turnips, she improvises with the help of her new friend Julia, who learns about the foods and traditions of Halloween in Ireland.
Comments: This would be an excellent read-aloud for students to learn the origins of Halloween.
The back pages are Author’s Note and Colcannon and Barmbrack.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Bruce and the Legend of Soggy Hollow (Mother Bruce Series)
by Ryan T. Higgins (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: Although grumpy Bruce does not like holidays, especially Halloween, with all of those visitors appearing at his door, Bruce gets talked into and agrees to role-playing a scary story called “The Legend of Soggy Hollow” with his forest friends…but were they indeed all of his friends?
Comments: A cute and hilarious parody of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, one of my favorite spooky stories.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
The Goblin Twins
by Frances Cha (Author), Jaime Kim (Illustrator)
Summary: Doki and Kebi are dokkaebi, a cross between a spirit and a goblin, who will need to move, as their home was being torn down to build a new one. Although Doki likes to give gifts of gold and silver to people with his magic club while his twin, Kebi, wants to scare people with his, they decide to live together in a haunted house in a strange land called America just in time for Halloween.
Comments: This is based on Korean lore. A more detailed explanation can be found in the back of the book in the Author’s Note.
I love to read monster/mythical creature lore from other countries. This would make an excellent addition to the Halloween or folklore section of a library.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Halloween (Traditions & Celebrations)
by Charles C Hofer (Author)
Summary: Young readers will learn how Halloween began, how we celebrate it today, and how other countries(Mexico, Germany, France, and Japan) celebrate holidays like it.
Comments: Words in bold are in the glossary. The back sections are Glossary, Read More, Internet Sites, Index, and About the Author.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Halloween (Holiday History)
by Spanier Kristine Mlis (Author)
Summary: Young readers will learn about the origins of Halloween, its traditions, and how South Korea and Ireland celebrate it.
Comments: Several “Did You Know?” squares give more information about the page’s topic. The back sections are Quick Facts & Tools: Halloween Place of Origin, Glossary, Index, and To Learn More.
Rating: 3/5 📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
Halloween in the Orchard (Countryside Holidays, 3)
by Phyllis Alsdurf (Author), Lisa Hunt (Illustrator)
Summary: A young boy and his parents dress up in costumes to visit an orchard on Halloween, where there are many fun activities, including trick-or-treating with scarecrows, a corn maze, and a hayride.
Comments: What child(or adult) wouldn’t like to go to an apple orchard like this on Halloween night!?!
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.
This is the third book of the Countryside Holidays series.
The selected children’s books are chosen by a certified, retired elementary school librarian who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.