9 Cute Halloween Books for Toddlers
Boo! It’s almost Halloween, and your kiddo is getting ready for a ghoulishly good time. They’re a bit young for the Exorcist kind of fun, but they’re totally into friendly ghosts, good witches, adorably fuzzy black cats, and anything else that screams “Halloween!” without being threatening. While you’re getting into your fave Stephen King novel, your tot needs something tamer. And that’s why we’ve got these low-fright Halloween reads for you!
Click, Clack, Boo! by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin ($18)
Your tyke adores Click, Clack, Moo, so it looks like it’s time to try the Halloween-ified version of the beloved children’s book. When farmer Brown (figuratively) hits the hay, the barnyard animals are all antics — and tricks of course.
Who’s There, Little Hoo? by Brenda Ponnay ($10)
Just like your kiddo may be, Little Hoo is kind of nervous about Halloween. And that’s totally okay. This nerve-fighting book shows young children that the holiday doesn’t have to be scary at all.
Who’s There on Halloween? by Pamela Conn Beall, Susan Hagen Nipp, and Charles Reasoner ($6)
This board book brings your little one a whole cast of Halloween characters. It’s an easy read, features completely calm (totally kid-friendly) illustrations, and will help your toddler or preschooler feel a-okay about those witches, ghosts, and ghouls their big sib is talking about.
Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry ($13)
It’s a flap book! Come on, you know your kiddo can’t get enough of picking up those fab little flaps. As Little Blue Truck picks up his little animal friends for a costume party, your child gets to lift and… surprise! They’ll discover what each animal is dressed up as.
Honk! Quack! Boo! by Tad Hills ($17)
Duck & Goose are going trick-or-treating. Of course they are: After all, it’s Halloween. Duck may be dressed up as a ghost — def adorable rather than spooky — and this book is much more sweet than scary.
Halloween ABC by Nosy Crow and Jannie Ho ($7)
Halloween books aren’t just pure entertainment. Some can be educational too. Your tot can get a jump on their ABC skills while pointing to pictures of notable Halloween creatures and critters.
Trick or Pete by Kimberly and James Dean ($6)
Your child is all about Pete the Cat. You’ve read all the books something like a zillion times. Well, add one more to the list: Pete’s taking on Halloween, trick-or-treating his way through the neighborhood. To make this easy read even better, it has lift-up flaps so that your child can enjoy the same surprises that Pete does.
Halloween Good Night by Rebecca Grabill and Ella Okstad ($18)
The whimsical illustrations and poetic text will hold your preschooler’s attention for the whole story. A gentle intro to some of Halloween’s top characters — mummies, ghosts, and witches, to name a few — it’s perfectly non-scary.
Emu’s Halloween by Anne Mangan and David Cornish ($10)
Your child may say, “Mommmmy, what’s an emu?” when you pull this one out. But that’s a good thing! This kid-friendly Halloween pick is all about Aussie animals. Learning about critters from across the world and celebrating Halloween at the same time isn’t a bad thing at all.
Erica Loop is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh. When she’s not busy creating kids’ activities for her blog Mini Monets and Mommies, you can find her trying to hang out with her teenage son, being chased by her two Olde Boston Bulldogs or teaching a children’s karate class (she’s a third degree black belt!).