October is a great month, because not only is it the start of autumn (which means lots of autumnal days out) but it’s a chance to get up to lots of Halloween fun with your kids too. Instead of reading the same book for the hundredth time, switch it up with the best Halloween books for kids.
While it’s fun to gather on the sofa and enjoy a spooky Halloween movie together as a family, nothing can beat snuggling down in bed with a good Halloween book, especially if your child is still a little too young for a scary film with some Halloween sweets.
From skeletons to pumpkins, ghosts and witches, we’ve scoured the web to find you the best options for your kids, which will get them in the Halloween spirit without any nightmares to follow and maybe even inspire their Halloween costumes for this year.
Best Halloween books for kids
If your tot is a fan of Eric Carle’s best-selling ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’ then they’ll love this Halloween version, which sees the caterpillar set off on a spooky adventure in the moonlit woods. With lots of flaps to lift, your little one will be dying to turn the page. Join the caterpillar, if you dare. Verified customer review: “Lovely little book and nice addition to the original. 2 year old daughter loves it.”
Spot and his friends decide to get into the Halloween spirit with a little dressing up. Helen decides she wants to be a fairy, Tom wants to be a pirate and Steve a clown, but Spot isn’t sure...Read along to discover what the little yellow dog will be dressing up as. (Why not make it into a game and all guess what you think Spot will dress up as before you start reading and then see who guessed right at the end?)
Verified customer review: “Bought for my 2 year old son for Halloween, it's a very short story but my son still enjoyed, maybe suited for younger children. Good sturdy board pages.”
Technically this isn’t a Halloween book, however plenty of parents have found themselves reaching for it around the 31st. It’s another book written by the brilliant Eric Carle (author of The Hungry Caterpillar) so you can trust it’s going to be good. This story follows a busy spider who’s spinning her web on a fencepost and is greeted by lots of animals along with way. As well as Carle’s brilliant images to accompany the story your tot can also feel the texture spider’s web as it grows.
Verified customer review: “The book in itself its a lovely story of a spider building her web and being asked questions by different farm animals but she is too busy spinning her web! My little one loves this book, it's helping him recognise the farm animals and now can do the sounds to a few of them!"
From Julia Donaldson who brought you The Gruffalo comes this fun, rhyming tale about a witch who offers different animals a ride on her broom. But it can only take so much room and eventually snaps in two and down below is a hungry dragon looking for a snack. What will they do? You’ll have to read to find out.
Verified customer review: “This is one of the best stories from Julia, the story flows and the rhyme is well paced making it really fun to read aloud. The illustrations are really good and detailed and the 'monster' at the end who saves the witch is just so much fun, it's clever and brilliant. Well worth buying, it's a classic.”
Is your tot a Peppa Pig fan? Then you can’t miss this book, because Peppa’s having a pumpkin party! Everyone is invited, including her little brother George, Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig and even Madame Gazelle.
Verified customer review: “A nice Peppa book telling the story of Halloween. My 2-year-old Granddaughter loves it and although she can't read she likes finding and counting the spiders and looking for the moon etc. The book is colourful and ideal for toddlers rough handling.
Since Little Miss Scary moved to town, Halloween had become a scare-your-pants-off kind of scary. But Mr Tickle is on a mission to make Halloween a little different and a bit more ticklish.
Verified customer review: “Great book for our granddaughter who is three and a half. Quite colorful pictures and keeps her entertained!”
7.
Funnybones
In Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s first storybook, we’re introduced to the wonderful world of the Funnybone skeletons. But these skeletons aren’t the scary sort, they’re fun and full of humour. A classic tale loved by many and a must-have for every child's bookshelf.
Verified customer review: “I have recently revisited this childhood favourite with my own children (aged 5,6, and 9). It is as enchanting as I remember. My kids adore the story. The illustrations are beautiful. Quickly delivered and in excellent condition.”
Mildred Hubble is a new student and trainee at Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches, but she’s making an awful mess of it! She keeps crashing her broomstick, getting all her spells wrong and when she accidentally turns Ethel into her worst enemy, chaos breaks out. If you find your child enjoys it, they may also like the TV series too.
Verified customer: “I bought this for my 5 year old granddaughter, a confident reader. She watched the tv series and liked it. The book didn’t disappoint u0026 she keeps referring to different parts of it! I’ll be ordering the next in the series for sure when she finishes this one.”
If your child enjoys the Roald Dahl books, and specifically The Witches, then they’ll love this book, which not only includes extracts from the story itself but is also packed with activities and the different ways they can take down witches.
Verified customer review: “Absolutely brilliant book! Especially for Halloween. My nearly 9 year old daughter has been reading and enjoying the activities all day long. There is a lot of variety- word searches, mazes, witch jokes and bits of story writing. She loved the original story book already and getting this book with interesting facts and activities has been an instant hit with her. 100% recommendation.”
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are enjoyed by thousands of kids (and even adults). This is the 11th book in the series, where Greg tries to embrace the festive season on Halloween. It’s not exactly ‘spooky’ but if you want a book that touches on the Halloween theme and is thoroughly enjoyable in the process, this is the one.
Verified customer review: “Diary of a Wimpy kid is always a winner in my household, even when my son is now 13 years and does not like to read. He would read this book over and over.”
When a hungry cat finds a witch's dusty old cookbook he decides to whip up a tasty lunch for himself. However, his enthusiasm overlooks his cooking abilities (and sees him miss out a few important instructions). Will lunch be edible and, more importantly, will he remain a cat? A heartwarming Halloween tale, perfect before bedtime.
Verified customer review: “What a delightful book this is! It tells the story of a witch’s cat who finds a dusty old spell book (which he mistakes for a cook book) and decides to make his witch a super scrumptious lunch as a surprise. However, he underestimates his cooking abilities (and perhaps isn’t the greatest at following instructions), and what follows is a marvellous tale of unfortunate mishaps! A fabulously charming story with beautiful illustrations. I have a feeling we’ll be reading this one again (and again, and again...)”
Any mini Hey Duggee fans will love this fangtastic Halloween book. Join Duggee and the Squirrels on a ghostly adventure where kids can earn a spooky badge. As well as a scary story, we love the bold bright illustrations, which will capture your child's imagination.
Verified customer review: "Our 19 month old boys LOVE Duggee so to see his face in a board book has been amazing for them - they love going through the pages and looking at pictures of the characters from their favourite show.
Also sturdy and has lasted very well without damage considering I have young twins who throw things a-lot - highly recommend!"
Instead of ghouls and monsters, this wholesome story tells a tale of when a large pumpkin gets away from its young owner, Marla. The repetitive language makes this the perfect book to read aloud together at bedtime.
Verified customer review: "The Roll-Away pumpkin is one cute little story. I have to say this is my kids' favourtie bed time reading. The artwork of the book is wonderful and Junia Wonders is an imaginative woman. She knows the best how to put a smile on a little child's face. I am getting the rest of her collection."
Why is reading so important for children?
It's never too early to read to your children. Believe it or not, reading to your child from birth has its benefits. Not only will they love hearing your voice, much like they did in the womb, but it'll help to develop their language skills as they grow.
For more reading benefits and tips to encourage kids to pick up a book, check out our guide to the very best children’s books of all time.
What day is Halloween 2023?
The spookiest holiday of the year lands on Tuesday 31 October. If you're planning to go all out for All Hallows' Eve, start by planning out an epic party or tick or treat experience. From there, consider what scary stories to tell with the best Halloween books for kids.