Halloween Books

This booklist was contributed by Appleton Public Library Children's Services Staff, 9/08 9/09

Picture Books

Halloween ABC by Sarah Albee(2009)The angel, ballerina, and cowboy eagerly begin Halloween trick-or-treating, but as the alphabet and the evening end, the witch, xylophone, and yak are ready for sleep.

Allie Gator's Halloween Hayride by Heather Alexander(2006)It's Halloween and Allie Gator can't wait to pull her first hayride wagon to bring the children to the pumpkin patch. Along the way, Allie hears spooky noises in the corn maze and sees a ghost in the cornstalks. Is Merriweather Farm haunted?

Somethin' Pumpkin by Scott Allen(2001)A hilariously spooky salute to everyone's favorite Halloween symbol.

Jeoffry's Halloween by Mary Bryant Bailey(2003)After roaming through fields, woods, and streets on Halloween night, Jeoffry the cat is glad to finally return home.

The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat by Stan Berenstain(1989)The Berenstain Bear cubs have an adventure on Halloween night that proves Mother's adage, "Appearances can be deceiving."

Algernon Graeves is Scary Enough by Peter Bollinger(2005)Algernon Graeves wants to wear the darkest, scariest Halloween costume ever to go trick-or-treating and finally thinks of just the right thing.

And Then Comes Halloween by Tom Brenner(2009)When nighttime creeps closer to suppertime and the sky is that certain deep blue-- then it's time to get ready for Halloween!

Arthur's Halloween by Marc Tolon Brown(1982)

The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin by Margaret Wise Brown(2003)A little pumpkin dreams of the day when he will be a big, fierce, yellow pumpkin who frightens away the field mice as the scarecrow does.

Scary, Scary Halloween by Eve Bunting(1986)A band of trick-or-treaters and a mother cat and her kittens spend a very scary Halloween.

The Bones of Fred McFee by Eve Bunting(2002)A toy skeleton at Halloween provides menace and mystery.

Behind the Mask by Yangsook Choi(2006)Kimin, a young Korean-American boy, has trouble deciding on a Halloween costume, but as he looks through an old trunk of his grandfather's things, he suddenly unlocks a childhood mystery.

Jungle Halloween by Maryann Cocca-Leffler(2000)Rhyming verses tell the story of jungle animals which decorate for Halloween, dress up for the occasion, and participate in the night's festivities.

Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi(2004)Bella Legrossi and Boris Kleanitoff, the messiest and cleanest monsters in Booville respectively, do nothing but argue until the night of Harry Beastie's Halloween party.

The Bumpy Little Pumpkin by Margery Cuyler(2005)Little Nell chooses an unusual pumpkin for her Halloween jack-o-lantern, despite her big sisters' criticisms.

Cranberry Halloween by Wende Devlin(1985)On Halloween night the people of Cranberryport almost lose the money they have raised to build a new dock.

Over in the Hollow by Rebecca Dickinson(2009)A counting book that features a variety of spooky Halloween creatures, from one spider to thirteen ghosts.

The Three Bears' Halloween by Kathy Duval(2007)Is it a witch or a blonde little girl hiding in the bushes of the spooky house when the three bears go trick or treating?

Queen of Halloween by Mary Engelbreit(2008)When Ann Estelle and her friend Michael go trick-or-treating and approach a big scary house, they both learn that courage means also being afraid.

Pumpkin Eye by Denise Fleming(2001)Simple rhymes describe the sights, sounds, and smells of Halloween.

Boo, Bunny by Kathryn Osebold Galbraith(2008)Two small bunnies face their fears while trick-or-treating on Halloween night.

The Littlest Pumpkin by R.A Herman(2001)One by one all the other pumpkins are chosen to become jack-o-lanterns, but even though no one buys the Littlest Pumpkin, her Halloween dreams come true.

Angelina's Halloween by Katharine Holabird(2006)Halloween brings excitement and thrills for Angelina and her little sister Polly, who gives her an unexpected scare.

The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz(2005)A lonely, oddly-shaped pumpkin is sad that no one chose him for Halloween, but by Thanksgiving he has discovered where he belongs.

Come with Me on Halloween by Linda Hoffman Kimball(2005)As a father and his young son visit a scary Halloween haunted house and then go trick-or-treating, it is unclear just who is helping whom be brave.

We're Off to Find the Witch's House by Richard Krieb(2005)Simple, rhyming text follows a group of children as they creep down the street, passing ever more frightening creatures, on their way to pay a holiday call on a witch.

The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll(1984)Two mice, each without the other's knowledge, help a pumpkin grow into "the biggest pumpkin ever"--but for different purposes.

Annie was Warned by Jarrett Krosoczka(2003)Disregarding warnings about the creepy mansion outside of town, Annie bravely goes to investigate on Halloween night and gets a big surprise.

Cinderhazel: the Cinderella of Halloween by Deborah Nourse Lattimore(1997)An untidy witch named Hazel discovers that Prince Alarming likes dirt as much as she does.

Froggy's Halloween by Jonathan London(1999)Froggy tries to find just the right costume for Halloween and although his trick-or-treating does not go as he had planned, he enjoys himself anyway.

The Costume Copycat by Maryann Macdonald(2006)Every year Angela's older sister outshines her at Halloween, until one year Angela creates her own special costume.

Happy Halloween, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt(2007)A mother reassures her young son as he imagines all the things that might go wrong while trick-or-treating.

A Very Brave Witch by Alison McGhee(2006)A young witch describes what she does on Halloween, her favorite holiday.

Mouse's Halloween Party by Jeanne Modesitt(2004)When Mouse and Pig schedule their Halloween parties for the same day, Mouse thinks of a way to make both of them happy. Includes instructions for Halloween party games.

Halloween Night by Marjorie Dennis Murray(2008)Loosely based on "The Night Before Christmas," this rhyming story tells of a group of animals, monsters, and witches who prepare such a frightening Halloween party that their expected trick-or-treaters all run away.

Who Will I Be? a Halloween Rebus Story by Shirley Neitzel(2005)When an invitation to a Halloween party arrives, a child gathers supplies to make a costume but cannot decide what to be.

Shake Dem Halloween Bones by W Nikola-Lisa(1997)A rhythmic tale about different updated fairy tale characters who attend a hip-hop Halloween ball.

Happy Haunting, Amelia Bedelia by Herman Parish(2004)Amelia Bedelia tries to help Mr. and Mrs. Rogers with their Halloween party.

The Hallo-wiener by Dav Pilkey(1995)All the other dogs make fun of Oscar the dachshund until one Halloween when, dressed as a hot dog, Oscar bravely rescues the others.

The Perfectly Horrible Halloween by Nancy Poydar(2002)Fearing that his Halloween at school will be ruined because he has left his pirate outfit on the bus, Arnold uses his imagination to come up with a new costume.

Brooms are for Flying by Michael Rex(2000)A group of young trick-or-treaters demonstrate that "feet are for stomping," "eyes are for peeking," "mouths are for moaning," and "tummies are for treating."

Halloween Mice by Bethany Roberts(1995)Mice whirling and skipping on Halloween night are threatened by an approaching cat, until they come up with a scary trick to defend themselves.

Halloween Day by Anne Rockwell(1997)The ten preschoolers in Mrs. Madoff's class wear their Halloween costumes to school, filling the room with a cat, a pirate, a witch, and other characters.

Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell(1989)In preparation for Halloween night, a family visits Mr. Comstock's farm to pick apples and pumpkins.

Vera's Halloween by Vera Rosenberry(2008)Vera is finally old enough to go trick-or-treating after dark and she dresses as a mummy, but when her bandages begin to unravel, she realizes that her night is not going as she anticipated.

Moonlight: the Halloween Cat by Cynthia Rylant(2003)Moonlight the cat loves everything about Halloween, from pumpkins to children to candy.

10 Trick or Treaters: a Halloween Counting Book by Janet Schulman(2005)Ten trick-or-treaters start out on Halloween night, but they disappear one-by-one as they encounter a spider, a vampire, a ghost, and other scary creatures.

Vunce Upon a Time by J. Otto Seibold(2008)A fearful, young vampire, who prefers candy to blood, bravely ventures into the human world on Halloween night to satisfy his sweet tooth.

The House that Drac Built by Judy Sierra(1995)In this Halloween version of a familiar cumulative rhyme, the inhabitants of a haunted house get increasingly agitated until a group of children sets things right.

Pumpkin Hill by Elizabeth Spurr(2006)The townspeople must decide what to do with thousands of pumpkins that roll down a hill and into their midst just before Halloween.

Halloween Monster by Catherine Stock(1990)Tommy is reluctant to dress up and go out on Halloween until his mother convinces him that there are no real monsters, ghosts, or witches.

Minerva Louise on Halloween by Janet Morgan Stoeke(2009)On her first Halloween, Minerva Louise the hen puzzles over costumes but enjoys her first taste of candy corn.

One Halloween Night by Mark Teague(2005)After a bad beginning, three friends discover that anything can happen on Halloween.

Haunted Party by Iza Trapani(2009)In this counting book that introduces the numbers from one to ten, a ghost and his supernatural friends have a party on Halloween night.

Albert's Halloween: the Case of the Stolen Pumpkins by Leslie Tryon(1998)Chief Inspector Albert the duck and his three detective assistants follow a series of clues to find the batch of pumpkins stolen from the town pumpkin patch.

Halloween Pie by Michael Tunnell(1999)Old Witch smiles a crooked smile and makes a Halloween pie for vampire and ghoul and ghost and banshee to enjoy.

Five Little Pumpkins by Iris Van Rynbach(1995)The traditional finger rhyme illustrated with lively watercolors.

John Pig's Halloween by Jan L. Waldron(1998)Too scared to go trick-or-treating, John Pig stays home on Halloween and has an unplanned party with some unexpected, monstrous guests.

Boo! It's Halloween by Wendy Watson(1992)A family gets ready for Halloween, preparing costumes, making goodies for the school party, and carving jack-o'lanterns. Halloween jokes and rhymes are interspersed throughout the text.

Halloween Hats by Elizabeth Winthrop(2002)A rhyming celebration of hats, featuring all sorts of head-toppers that help create costumes for the Halloween parade.