Halloween brings fun and enjoyable picture books that kids will love to read – or have read to them. Here are some of the best and newest books to celebrate a holiday that is tailored for youngsters. With the exception of the first book, which is good for all ages, the rest are good for ages three to eight.
Click, Clack, Boo: A Tricky Treat, by Doreen Cronin, and painted with watercolor by Betsy Lewin, is another fun and humorous edition of these funny barnyard animals. Farmer Brown doesn’t like Halloween and all of the spooky sights and sounds it brings. He leaves a bowl of candy at his front door and locks up for the night. But then he hears those “creaking”, “crunching” sounds outside. He opens his door and sees a newly hung sign saying “Halloween Party at the Barn”. What he sees happening in his barn will bring smiles all around, especially Farmer Brown’s expression on the last page. This is a delightful book and onomatopoeia’s abound aplenty!
Romping Monsters, Stomping Monsters, by Jane Yolen, and vibrantly painted with oil and acrylic by Kelly Murphy, displays the most unusual monsters ever created! The simple rhyming text helps move these monsters to “hopscotch”, “slide”, “swing” and “piggy-back ride”. Some have three eyes, some have one. Some have four arms and some have more. Youngsters will beg to have this reread over and over!
Splat the Cat: What was That?, by Rob Scotton, is such a fun small lift-the-flap book! Splat should be happy it’s Halloween, after all, he’s a black cat. But as he goes through a haunted house, you get to lift the flaps to see what’s behind each part of the house. Little ones will enjoy this book as they seek to see what’s hiding.
The Skeleton Pirate, by David Lucas, is one of those books that has such a great story that it begs to be read aloud. In fact, be prepared for this book to be requested to be read to your children nightly. This Skeleton Pirate claims he’s the “Terror of the Seas” and that he’ll “never be beaten“. Unfortunately, he’s captured and thrown overboard and sinks to the bottom of the sea. But a nice mermaid saves him but not before both are swallowed by a very large whale. What they find inside this mammoth fish and how they end up will have you saying “shiver me timbers”. The brilliant watercolor fills the double-page pictures.
Monsters Loose! (A Seek and Solve Mystery!), by Bruce Hale, and completely covered in an array of fantastic monsters and their dwellings by Dave Garbot, has an appearance to the “Where’s Waldo” books. The first two pages present the suspects to help you search and locate throughout the rest of the book. There are additional questions to look for specific items as you pour over each entertaining page! This would be a perfect book in the car while waiting or driving long distances.