October is such a fun month in elementary schools and sharing Halloween books for kids with your first grade, second grade, or third grade students can make the month fun, engaging and educational. There are so many children’s literature options for this time of year that it can be hard to find the best titles. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite mentor texts for Halloween. These books and activities are great for teaching reading comprehension strategies, writing, grammar and social emotional learning. Check out the full list of Halloween books for kids below!
6 Halloween Picture Books to Read Aloud
Below are some quality Halloween picture books your students will love! They are great fall books for kids.
1. Click, Clack, Boo by Doreen Cronin
The story Click, Clack, Boo! follows the series’ favorite character, Farmer Brown. Readers learn that Farmer Brown does not like Halloween. Things like witches, pirates and jack-o’-lanterns scare him. Farmer Brown decides to put candy on the porch and stay inside on Halloween night.
Meanwhile, the farm animals are getting reading for the Halloween Party in the barn. As the different animals make their way to the party, Farmer Brown hears all kinds of noises in the night. He gets more scared each time he hears a noise, and one of them is getting closer and knocks on the door! However, when Farmer Brown hears a “quackle” he jumps out of bed and goes to the door. He finds his bowl of candy gone and a note inviting him to the party instead. When Farmer Brown shows up to the party in his pajamas, he wins best costume!
Students will love this seasonal edition to a familiar series.
Visit our blog post specifically for this book: Click, Clack Boo Activities and Lesson Ideas.
2. The Hallo-Wiener by Dav Pilkey
Dav Pilkey’s book, The Hallo-Wiener, is about a dachshund named Oscar. All of the other dogs in Oscar’s class make fun of him for the way he looks and call him a wiener dog. Normally, the teasing would bother Oscar, but not on Halloween. He can’t wait to wear a scary costume. However, when he gets home from school he finds his mother made him a surprise, a hotdog costume!
Oscar doesn’t want to hurt his mom’s feelings so he wears the costume. Of course, the other dogs tease him for wearing it. While trick-or-treating, Oscar has a hard time keeping up with the other dogs because of the costume, and misses out on all the candy. As the other dogs head home, they pass a graveyard. That’s when they see a scary creature and they’re so scared they run into a pond.
When Oscar comes along, he can see the feet under the costume, it’s just some cats! Oscar scares off the cats and rescues his friends from the water. Oscar is no longer the wiener dog, but the Hero Sandwich!
Visit our blog post specifically for this book: The Hallo-Wiener Activities and Lesson Ideas.
3. The Little Old Lady Who was not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams
The story The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything is about an old woman who goes for a walk in the woods. As she continues home, it begins to get dark and she runs into a pair of shoes!
The little old lady tells the shoes to get out of her way and that she is not afraid, but they continue to follow her. She also runs into pants, a shirt, gloves, and a hat on her walk. Each time she starts to walk faster, but isn’t afraid.
Finally, she runs into a big pumpkin head and runs all the way home. The clothing items follow and knock on her door. Bravely, the little old lady asks what they want and learns they want to scare her. With smart thinking, the little old lady comes up with a solution that works for her and the clothing. Students will love this classic Halloween picture book!
Visit our blog post specifically for this book: The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything Activities and Lesson Ideas.
4. The Good, The Bad, and The Spooky by Jory John
It is Halloween and the seed in this book is in a bad mood. He is feeling crummy because Halloween is his favorite holiday and he can’t think of a costume idea. He has tried a few different ideas but none of them are just right. The seed wants something original, show stopping and perfect.
Feeling the stress of coming up with the perfect costume idea, the seed decides he needs to postpone Halloween. He decides to trick everyone into thinking Halloween has been moved to the following night. He tells them a big storm and a herd of seed eating squirrels are on the way! This will give him more time to come up with the best costume.
Then, a pair of pumpkin seeds stop by to talk to the seed. They notice that he is feeling down and explain that Halloween isn’t a competition. The seed learns that no one else cares what he is wearing and he shouldn’t worry about such small things. The seed decides to let everyone know about his trick and Halloween is back on!
He decides to dress up as a squirrel and joins the pumpkin seeds for a night of fun. This story celebrates the fun of Halloween and teaches students not to stress over the small things in life!
Visit our blog post specifically for this book: The Good, The Bad, and The Spooky Activities and Lesson Ideas.
5. Crankenstein by Samantha Berger and Dan Santat
There are a lot of things that Crankenstein does not like. You would know if you have ever seen Crankenstein. He does not like standing in long lines and he doesn’t like bedtime. Crankstein does not like when it is too cold on Halloween or when it is too hot for popsicles. He definitely doesn’t like bedtime or drinking cough syrup.
You might think that Crankenstein would be that way forever. But, when Crankenstein sees another crankenstein, it actually makes him laugh! Of course Crankenstein will be back someday, but not after laughing so much!
Visit our blog post specifically for this book: Crankenstein Activities and Lesson Ideas.
6. Turkey Trick or Treat by Wendi Silvano
It is Halloween night and Turkey and his friends are watching the children get treats from Farmer Jake. The friends decide its unfair that the children can get treats and they can’t. The group decides that since Turkey is so good at making costumes, he should try wearing a costume to get them treats.
Dressed up as a ghost, Turkey makes his way to Farmer Ben’s house. When Farmer Ben answers the door, he recognizes Turkey right away. He explains that treats are not for Turkeys and sends Turkey on his way. However, the friends aren’t ready to give up. Turkey dresses up as a ballerina, pirate, and even a superhero. Each time he visits a new farmer, but each time they send Turkey away.
Finally, as the night is coming to an end, Turkey has an idea. He heads over to Mable Mayberry’s house. Mable squints through her glasses and is amazed by the turkey costume in front of her. She thinks it is the best costume she has ever seen and gives Turkey the rest of her treats!
The friends are happy to finally have plenty of treats to share! Students will love seeing their favorite characters from the Turkey series in this Halloween story.
Visit our blog post specifically for this book: Turkey Trick or Treat Activities and Lesson Ideas.
3 Books to Read Aloud in October that do not Mention Halloween
I would definitely include the following books on a Halloween Books for Kids List even though they don’t actually have anything to do with the holiday. The fact that they are not “Halloween-specific” makes them wonderful picture books to read aloud to your class in the month of October if your district does not allow holiday activities, but you still want to capitalize on the engagement that comes from incorporating them into your 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade classroom.
1. Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
In the story Creepy Carrots, the main character is Jasper Rabbit. Jasper loves carrots, specifically the kind from Crackenhopper Field. Jasper eats as many carrots from that field as he can, as often as he can.
One day, Jasper notices that the carrots are creepily following them. He sees them hiding in his house! This really scares Jasper, so he hatches a plan to trap the carrots in Crackenhopper Field. In a turn of events, the carrots are happy to be trapped, and it was their plan all along to get Jasper to leave them alone.
Students will love this story about a rabbit who finds himself being followed by carrots!
Visit our blog post specifically for this book: Creepy Carrots Activities and Lesson Ideas.
2. Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds
Jasper the rabbit returns in Creepy Pair of Underwear and this time needs new underwear, so he and his mother took a trip to the underwear store. In addition to the three packs of Plain White his mother bought, Jasper picked out a pair of creepy underwear. He was so excited to wear them that he wore them to bed that night. However, once the lights were out Jasper realized the green, ghoulish glow coming from his creepy underwear. He tried to put them in the bottom of the hamper, but woke up wearing them!
Throughout the book, Jasper tried various ways to get rid of his creepy pair of underwear but they just kept coming back. Finally, Jasper buried them deep in the ground, but that’s when he realized how dark his room was without the underwear. He went back outside to dig them up and even bought more pairs of creepy underwear the next day to add to the green glow in his room.
Visit our blog post specifically for this book: Creepy Pair of Underwear Activities and Lesson Ideas.
3. I Need my Monster by Amanda Noll
I Need My Monster is not really a Halloween book, but it is still a great October read aloud. Ethan was getting ready for bed when he found out his monster will be gone for a week. He starts to worry about how he will fall asleep without his monster, Gabe, there. Ethan needs his monster, with long, sharp claws, and a long tail in order to sleep at night. He decides to call in a substitute monster.
The first monster arrives and does not have long enough claws. The next monster has long claws but they are not ragged like his monster’s claws are. Ethan is visited by 5 monsters and none of them are scary enough, so he sends them away. Finally, Gabe, returns from his fishing trip and Ethan is so happy to see him. Gabe felt like the fish scared too easily, and likes that Ethan is a challenge. Thankfully, Ethan is able to fall asleep now that his beloved monster has returned.
Visit our blog post specifically for this book: I Need My Monster Activities and Lesson Ideas.
Get All of the Halloween Book Activities!
Scoop up all of the activity packets based on the picture books featured in this post!
Or Get All of the Activity Packets for 600+ Picture Books!
Starts with a Story is a collection of hundreds of book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Each book companion includes:
- reading comprehension questions with sample student responses
- 30 writing prompts targeting 10 different types of writing
- SEL lesson ideas based on character and events from each story
- printable student activities
- editable teaching slides with book-based clipart
- and more.
Learn how to get unlimited access to all 600+ book companion packets below!
Teachers Love these Other Halloween Activities for Kids
We have lots of Halloween activities you can use in your classroom. Check out the blog post Halloween Activities for Kids to get more ideas and teaching resources!
One Last Thing Before You Go… Grab this Free Reading Resource!
If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It includes:
- seasonal read aloud books lists for teachers
- printable reading logs to track students’ reading
- monthly reading challenges to motivate students to read more
It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!
In closing, we hope you found this list of Halloween books for kids helpful! If you are a member of Starts With a Story, you have access to all of these book companion activities. Lastly, you may also be interested in these fall books for kids if you love read alouds like us!
