25+ Picture Books Perfect for Halloween!

When I get out our Halloween decorations, I also haul up our big pile of seasonal books to read throughout the month together. It's both my favorite thing and my kids' favorite thing! We love our "Halloween" books--some are actually about Halloween, some are a little creepy or about Halloween related things like monsters, and some are simply books perfect for fall.

Today I am sharing some of our FAVORITE books to read at Halloween time!

Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex

We love Goodnight Moon at our house and Goodnight Goon is a fun and hilarious Halloween take of the original. It includes all things Halloween--monsters and witches and a werewolf--but all in the same cutsie art style. The changes that are made are clever and fun to read.

Little Blue Truck's Halloween by Alice Shertle

We are also huge fans of Little Blue Truck at our house! I am usually not very impressed with spin offs of favorite books (for example, I will sometimes read Pout Pout Fish holiday books, but I don't love them, and we don't even own any other Tacky the Penguin books, despite the fact that I love the originals of both), but I have loved every Little Blue Truck book that we've read. Little Blue Truck's Halloween is no exception! It's a flap book (and the flaps are very durable) showcasing all the animals' and truck's Halloween costume.

Monster Mash by David Catrow

I have a daughter who simply loves Halloween and always has, and the Monster Mash is one of her favorite songs. This book has some creepy or weird looking pictures in it, but that's part of the appeal to her and doesn't have anything gory. It's a fun book that follows the song.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere by Smriti Prasadam-Halls

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere is a cute picture book looking at different jack o'lanterns and following a group of people who have a pumpkin festival. It's perfect for Halloween time!

Sheep Trick or Treat by Nancy Shaw

Sheep in Jeep is another of my very favorite children's books. Sheep Trick or Treat is a fun spinoff following the sheep as they make Halloween costumes and go trick or treating--but on the way home, some wolves start to follow them. It's clever and well done, just like the original.

Ollie's Halloween by Olivier Dunrea

I love all of the Gossie and Friends books and so do my kids. Ollie is our favorite. Ollie's Halloween follows the goslings on Halloween night, talking about how it's a night to scare. At the very end, Ollie hasn't had any treats and they share with him, and the book ends by saying it's a night to share. It's a cute little story.

Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberly

Go Away, Big Green Monster! has been a Halloween book I've had in my house since my youngest was a toddler and the kids all want to read it every single year. We love the clever way it's set up to first show the Big Green Monster appearing and then disappearing. We also Nighty Night Little Green Monster, which is set up in the same way, and If You're a Monster and You Know It, which is just a monster version of If You're Happy and You Know It with pictures to go along with it, by the same author. I love reading all of them at this time of year!

Mercy Watson, Princess in Disguise by Kate DiCamillo

Princess in Disguise is technically a chapter book, but it has lot of illustrations and is a fun read for younger and older kids alike (it's my four-year-old's favorite right now). It's short enough that we've read it one sitting before. Mercy Watson is a fun series about a couple who have adopted a pig named Mercy, and Princess in Disguise follows their adventures as they try to take her trick-or-treating.

A Super Scary Narwhalloween by Ben Clanton

A Super Scary Narwhalloween is another short chapter book, and is in graphic novel format. My kids love for me to read them the Narwhal and Jelly books and this one is perfect for Halloween time.

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! by Lucille Colandro

Ah yes, the classic Old Lady Who Swallows books. We love seeing all the variations on this story and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat is great for this time of year.

Dem Bones by Bob Barner

Dem Bones is another song that my younger kids love (my older kids groan every time I turn it on). This version of the book is fun because it teaches about the different bones with facts on each page rather than just being the song in book form. It was a great one to use when I did a unit study on bones at Halloween time one year.

T. Rex Trick or Treats by Lois G. Grambling

T. Rex Trick or Treats follows a T Rex who wants to dress up as something really scary for Halloween but isn't sure what to be. His friends help him find the best costume--himself with a really big frown--and they have fun together trick or treating. It's a cute story for Halloween time and perfect for any kid who loves dinosaurs!

Halloween Hustle by Charlotte Gunnufson

Halloween Hustle is in the top 5 of my favorite Halloween books to read! I love the rhythm that naturally comes out as I'm reading the book and the story and illustrations are both super cute. Even though it has Halloween characters, the book is about dancing and friendship rather than anything scary.

There's a Witch in Your Book by Greg Abbott

There's a Witch in Your Book is an interactive book about trying to "clean up" the mess a naughty little witch makes. It has you block spells with your hand, clean things up by wiping them away, and point your finger to say some spells. My kids love reading this together!

Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins

I think Stumpkin has the number one spot for my favorite Halloween books. It follows a pumpkin who is perfectly round and orange, but no one picks him for a jack o'lantern because he doesn't have a stump. In the end, he realizes he doesn't need a new home because he already has one--with the shopkeeper, who makes him into a jack o'lantern for the shop. The story telling and illustrations are so well done, I love reading it every year.

Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O'Connel

Ten Timid Ghosts is another of my top 5 favorite Halloween books. It follows a group of ghosts who live in a haunted house when a witch comes and starts to scare them into leaving so she can the house for herself--but one ghost is paying attention and helps the ghosts all get their house back. The rhyming is fun to read and it's fun to catch the little ghost paying attention in the illustrations.

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

Room on the Broom is a book we read throughout the year, but because it's about a witch, I love pulling it out each Halloween time. It follows a witch who keeps dropping things. Each time she stops to find her things, she meets another animal who asks if there is room on the broom for them. In the end, all her new friends are able to help her when a dragon shows up. I love the book and I also love 30 minute animated movie they've made of the book. Both are super cute, with super cute rhymes, story, and illustrations.

Sherlock Chick and the Case of the Night Noises by Robert Quackenbush

Sherlock Chick is not actually a Halloween book, but I love reading mystery books at this time of year--both in my personal reading and out loud to the kids. The Case of the Night Noises is such a fun picture book mystery, it is a great introduction for kids to the mystery genre. I grew up reading this one and loving it. I also noticed while writing this post that there are other Sherlock Chick books and now I am going to go check those ones out with my kids!

Little Witch's Big Night by Deborah Hautzig

Little Witch's Big Night is a fun Halloween book. It follows a young witch who is accidentally "too good" so she has to stay home from the Halloween fun with her mom and aunts. While at home, she makes friends with some trick or treater kids. In the end, she and her mom make up and there's a cute ending.

The Monster's Monster by Patrick McDonnell

The Monsters' Monster is a cute story about monsters who have a lot to learn--I love that the story is about gratitude, even while following monsters. I like to read it at Halloween because monsters are Halloween-y to me but it's a fun one that isn't about "being scary".

Little Ghost Makes a Friend by Maggie Edkins Willis

Little Ghost Makes a Friend has super cute illustrations and a really fun story. It follows a ghost who is nervous about making friends. When he gets a new neighbor, he decides to be brave and invite her to a Halloween party, where he finds out that she sometimes feels nervous about making new friends too. He has the best Halloween ever with his new friend. My favorite part of this book are the illustrations, but the story and character are also fun to read about.

At the Old Haunted House by Helen Ketteman

At the Old Haunted House is probably my kids' favorite Halloween book. It's always the first one they pick out for me to read and we often read it several times throughout the month. I also love it. The rhythm of the book makes it a really fun read aloud and the illustrations aren't scary or weird as the book introduces each Halloween character.

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

Creepy Carrots and the entire series (Creepy Crayon and Creepy Pair of Underwear) are some of our favorite books to read year round, but I especially love them at Halloween. They play on the horror genre, but because it's about carrots--or crayons, or underwear--it's silly instead of scary for kids. The story and illustrations are so well done, both the kids and I love reading these together.

How Spider Saved Halloween by Robert Kraus

How Spider Saved Halloween is my favorite Halloween book from my own childhood. The story follows spider and the way he and his friends handle a group of bullies at Halloween time. It's a cute story that my kids love every time we read it.

The Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain

The Spooky Old Tree and the similar book, Bears in the Night, are books we love reading all year, but especially at Halloween. This is such a classic book with an atmosphere that is perfect for Halloween time without being too scary for kids.

The Pumpkin Patch by Elizabeth King

The Pumpkin Patch is a picture book of photographs that chronicles how pumpkins are grown for pumpkin patches. I love photo books like this, especially holiday ones.

Leaf Man by Lois Elhert

Leaf Man is such a unique and fun book--it depicts leaves in different shapes, like a man, cows, or an orchard. Each page has new shapes to discover and my kids love it. It's also fun as a book to read before going out and gathering leaves together).

Those are our family's favorite picture book reads at Halloween time each year! What are some of your favorite holiday reads? Do you lean into the scarier or more fun Halloween vibe? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!