It’s time for candy and costumes, one of the most anticipated times of the year for kids. What a great time for some of the best Halloween books to help celebrate. Following are a variety of books to reach all ages from toddlers to twelve.
I Got the Spooky Spirit, by Connie Schofield-Morrison and gorgeously painted with oil on canvas by Frank Morrison, is another edition to a wonderful “spirit” series. This picture book rhyming tale showcases Halloween happenings as an adorable girl prepares for this fun holiday. There are delightful onomatopoeias and exclamations found throughout and the glorious pictures fill the open page.
Villains Academy, by Ryan Hammond, is the first book in a planned series. This middle-grade book features a werewolf who is actually nice as he navigates through a school for monsters. There are fun, funny and entertaining illustrations on almost every page! This delightful book is geared for ages seven through twelve.
Monster Hands, by Karen Kane and Jonaz McMillan and wonderfully illustrated using custom brushes and textures using Procreate on iPad Pro by Dion MBD, is a picture book where two friends who live across the street from each other overcome their fears. This unique book uses a rhyming ASL that helps these friends vanquish the fictitious monster under their beds. What a great book for hearing and deaf children alike to enjoy.
Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden, by Christy Mandin, is a picture book that has Millie desiring to plant a most unusual garden. This garden ends up having all kinds of the most unique plants such as fanged fairy moss, glowing Jack-in-the-bush and grumpy gillyflower. Kids of all ages will enjoy this lovely story and find more information about these plants at the back of the book. The lovely sepia-toned illustrations were created digitally.
Crimson Twill: Witch in the Spotlight, by Kallie George and illustrated with adorable black and white pictures sprinkled throughout digitally by Birgitta Sif, is an early chapter book best for ages seven through nine. This newest book in this series continues with the antics of this cute little witch who is trying to learn how to use her wand. But what she experiences with that wand will keep kids reading to the end.
Unicorn Diaries: Bo and the Witch, by Rebecca Elliott, is a part of the popular Branches series that is ideally suited for ages five to seven. Witches live high in the sky and are rarely seen in the unicorn forest. But when one crashes in the unicorn forest, Bo and friends are anxious to help this little witch get back home. The illustrations are on every page and filled with color making this perfect for new chapter book readers.
Mind Over Monsters, by Betsy Uhrig, is a funny and kind of spooky fiction geared for ages eight to twelve. Young Lena always feels worried about things in her life. So, she, along with a few other kids in her class, are trying out an app to help assuage her fears. However, something is definitely wrong with this app because crazy things begin to happen. There’s the inky blob that appears to those kids scared of the dark. And a sickly looking giant in sweaty shorts for kids afraid to public speak. How Lena and friends come up with a solution to these bizarre occurrences will have your kids reading all the way to the end!
Little Monster Says Goodnight, by David Slonim, has this enjoyable picture book that’s all about helping Little Monster go to sleep with the help of his Momster. But this ritual is different from the norm and will have youngsters giggling throughout. Some of these nighttime rituals include a cold mud bath and leaving toothpaste all over the bathroom. The colorful illustrations were done in acrylic and charcoal on watercolor paper.