Story Time Selections: My 10 Favorite Halloween Picture Books
It’s the best time of year for story time! From now ‘til January, my story time book selections will be guided by the calendar, with all things Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas on the way. I love choosing holiday books for story times, and Halloween is no exception. Halloween is extra special because it involves my little library patrons all dressed up in their costumes of choice. I’ve seen some pretty special costumes over the years, but the little girl who dressed up as a snot sea cucumber takes the cake. We aren’t having in-person story times right now due to COVID restrictions, but I’ll still dress up for my virtual story time this Halloween. Here are my top 10 not-so-spooky Halloween book picks.
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams
A spooky story with the perfect ending, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything begins with our little old lady taking a routine journey to the woods to gather herbs and spices. A suspicious pair of shoes with no one attached to them start to follow her home with a clomp clomp (readers are encouraged to join in on the sound effects!). The little old lady is spooked by the lively shoes and hurries toward home. The shoes are joined by a wiggling pair of pants, a shaking shirt, two clapping gloves, and one nodding hat, and the little old lady picks up her pace. A very scary surprise appears when the little old lady reaches home. The rhythm and movement make this a great book to move along with!
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
Room on the Broom is the story of a witch who makes room for lots of friends! This witch keeps dropping her things as she flies on her broom through the sky— and every time she lands to collect her belongings, she makes a new friend! Each friend is added to her broom until the broom is so full that it snaps in two! The witch is left stranded, and a mean, hungry dragon comes after her. But the witch’s new friends come to her rescue with a clever plan. Room on the Broom is perfect for kids who love stories about friends and bravery.
5-Minute Halloween Stories by Disney Storybook Art Team
I love this trend of 5-minute story collections! I have multiple in my library, including the Marvel collection, the Daniel Tiger collection, and the Star Wars collection. They are perfect for group story time or bedtime stories. This collection features all of your favorite Disney characters, including Rapunzel, Winnie the Pooh, Wreck-It-Ralph, and many more. My favorite stories in this collection are the Princess and the Frog Halloween story, about the ghost (wink) who haunts Tiana’s restaurant, and the Monsters, Inc. story about Mike and Sully getting stuck in the human world on Halloween night.
It’s Pumpkin Time! by Zoe Hall
It’s Pumpkin Time! is a Halloween classic that I read at my toddler story time year after year. This story follows two siblings (and their dog!) in preparation for their favorite holiday— Halloween! Growing pumpkins is hard work, but it’s worth it in the end. Starting out by planting pumpkin seeds, the book explains how pumpkins grow, change color, and finally, how we can carve them into fun faces for the holiday. Halloween finally arrives and the kids choose costumes for trick-or-treating. It’s Pumpkin Time! is perfect for readers ages 3-5.
Zombelina by Kristyn Crow
Zombelina is a wonderful dancer, so it only makes sense that she joins a ballet class. Zombelina doesn’t quite fit in with the other ballerinas, but she doesn’t mind, because Zombelina knows she is born to dance. When the big recital comes, instead of being amazing by her dancing, the audience is afraid, and everyone runs away in terror. Except Zombelina’s family. Zombelina isn’t explicitly a Halloween book, but this zombie family is more than spooky enough for the holiday. Funny and creepy, Zombelina is a celebration of family supporting each other’s wild dreams.
It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff
Our favorite mouse returns! Mouse from Laura Numeroff’s classic, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, is back for some pumpkin fun in It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! Mouse has many pumpkins to decorate, and each one gets a different face. Sad face, happy face, surprised face and more, this is a great book for exploring emotions with toddlers. One of the pumpkins goes missing, and Mouse discovers that one of his friends has painted a pumpkin, too! In board book style, It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! is perfect for readers under the age of 3.
Arthur’s Halloween: An Arthur Adventure by Mac Brown
A childhood favorite of mine, this story follows our beloved pal Arthur and his sister D.W. on Halloween night. Arthur is super spooked by Halloween, and everything about the day scares him, including the decorations and creepy snacks at school. Arthur feels like the biggest scaredy-cat ever, but he trick-or-treats anyway, mostly because Mom makes him. D.W. wants to visit every house in their neighborhood— including the really spooky ones! But when D.W. disappears inside the spookiest house on the block, Arthur chooses to be brave and go in after her. Arthur discovers that not everything about Halloween is as spooky as it seems.
Click, Clack, Boo! by Doreen Cronin
Our favorite farm animals are back, and the farm is spookier than ever. Farmer Brown is not a fan of Halloween— it’s too scary for him. But the farm animals love the holiday, and there’s a big Halloween party taking place in the barn. Everyone dresses up— even the cow! Farmer Brown hides in his house and locks the door. But a spooky figure makes its way across the farm toward the house. What could it be? Farmer Brown is spooked! When he finds an invitation to the barn Halloween party on the front porch, Farmer Brown must make a decision. Will he join the animals for a spooktacular time? A silly read, perfect for ages 5-8.
Ladybug Girl and the Dress-Up Dilemma by David Soman
Halloween is coming up, and Ladybug Girl doesn’t know what her costume should be. She’s always Ladybug Girl, so she has to choose something different to be for Halloween. Ladybug Girl tries costume after costume, but not one of them feels quite right for her. Ladybug Girl and her family visit an apple orchard for some fall fun. When Ladybug Girl helps to rescue a little girl lost in the corn maze, she is reminded of her true identity and decides on the perfect costume for Halloween. Ladybug Girl and the Dress-Up Dilemma is the perfect read for kids who love to dress up all year long.
Llama Llama Trick or Treat by Anna Dewdney
Who doesn’t love a book featuring our friend from the classic book Llama Llama Red Pajama? This story comes from Llama Llama’s Little Library, the Llama books geared toward toddler readers. In a pleasant, rhythmic rhyme, Llama’s Halloween book follows Llama as he chooses a costume, carves a pumpkin, and goes trick-or-treating. A speedy read in board book style, Llama Llama Trick or Treat is perfect for readers under age 2. Look out for another Llama book on the blog come December— Llama Llama Holiday Drama is one of my favorites to read around Christmas time!
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