Picture Books for Halloween
Celebrate the spookiest holiday with these not-so-scary picture books.
Ghost afraid of the dark
Conway, Sara, 1962-, author
2020
Boo is a shy little ghost who is afraid of the dark. Being brave is not easy, but with the help of his friends, he'll learn to not fear the night. Join Boo in this adorable, rhyming story as he faces his biggest fear and discovers dark nights can be fun.
The goblin twins
Cha, Frances, author
2023
Good-natured goblin twin brothers Doki and Kebi move to New York City and experience an unexpected Halloween adventure in their new home.
The good, the bad, and the spooky
John, Jory, author
2021
When Bad Seed cannot find an amazing costume for Halloween night, he postpones trick-or-treating for everyone else until he finds the perfect one.
Gustavo, the shy ghost
Drago, Flavia Z., author
2020
Gustavo is good at doing all sorts of ghostly things: walking through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark. And he loves almost nothing more than playing beautiful music on his violin. But Gustavo is shy, and some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye scream or making friends with other monsters. Whenever he tries getting close to them, he realizes they just can't see him. Now that the Day of the Dead is fast approaching, what can he do to make them notice him and to share with them something he loves?
A haunted ghost tour in Canada
Martin, Louise (Children's fiction writer), author.
2023
Experience a fa-BOO-lous Halloween with Little Ghost on a tour of all the landmarks you know and love in CANADA! Little Ghost is going on a spooky Halloween tour around Canada, and you're invited to ride along! Take a trip with the Ghost family as they travel from Ottawa to Vancouver and visit favorite landmarks such as CN Tower and Sambro Island Lighthouse. Along the way, Little Ghost loves tricking everyone ... until Little Ghost hears the biggest BOO ever!
How to catch a witch
Walstead, Alice, author
2022
When the Halloween Witch opens a magical portal and lets in all the Halloween creatures, the Catch Club Kids set up a trap to catch creatures and send them back.
How to make friends with a ghost
Green, Rebecca, 1986- author, illustrator
2017
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! If you follow these few simple steps and the rest of the essential tips in How to Make Friends with a Ghost, you'll see how a ghost friend will lovingly grow up and grow old with you.
I want to eat your books : a deliciously fun Halloween story
Lefranc, Karin, author.
2023
"This zombie doesn't want to eat your brains--he wants to eat your books! Will the school library be devoured, or will the children discover something the zombie likes to do with books even more than eating them?"-- Provided by publisher.
I will read to you
Sterer, Gideon, author.
2023
"A young boy heads into the woods to read bedtime stories to vampires, witches, skeletons, and other kinds of monsters who have no one to help them to sleep"-- Provided by publisher.
I'm not scary
Kaduji, Raahat, author
2024
Bat just wants to make friends, but seeing him through the window at night the other animals think he is a monster--until Beattie the bear cub chances upon Bat's home tree and discovers that he is not scary at all.
The light inside
Misdea, Dan, author, illustrator.
2023
"How far would you go to get back your favorite toy? In this heartwarming tale, a timid jack-o'-lantern finds its courage in the darkest of places."-- Page 4 of cover.
Lila and the jack-o'-lantern : Halloween comes to America
Churnin, Nancy, author
2023
Before emigrating from Ireland, Lila assures her siblings they will still celebrate Halloween in America, but with no turnips to carve into jack-o-lanterns, Lila must get creative to keep her promise. Includes a recipe for colcannon.
Millie Fleur's poison garden
Mandin, Christy, author, illustrator
2024
Millie Fleur La Fae is new in Garden Glen, and she plans to plant her garden of strange and sometimes dangerous plants, but the town garden club does not approve of her and wants to tear it down.
The monster at the end of this book
Stone, Jon, author
2000
Grover worries page by page about meeting the monster at the end of this book.
Poesy the monster slayer
Doctorow, Cory, author
2020
A monster slayer needs no bedtime! Once her parents are off to bed, Poesy excitedly awaits the monsters that creep into her room. With the knowledge she's gained from her trusty monster book and a few of her favorite toys, Poesy easily fends off a werewolf, a vampire, and much more. But not even Poesy's bubblegum perfume can defeat her sleep-deprived parents!
The skull : a Tyrolean folktale
Klassen, Jon, author, illustrator
2023
Jon Klassen's signature wry humor takes a turn for the ghostly in this thrilling retelling of a traditional Tyrolean folktale. In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit--with rich, monochromatic artwork and an illuminating author's note--The Skull is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding.
There's a ghost in this house
Jeffers, Oliver, author, illustrator
2021
A young girl lives in a haunted house, but has never seen a ghost. Are they white with holes for eyes? Are they hard to see? She'd love to know! Step inside and turn the transparent pages to help her on an entertaining ghost hunt, from behind the sofa, right up to the attic. With lots of friendly ghost surprises and incredible mixed media illustrations, this unique and funny book will entertain young readers over and over again!