Yep, it’s that time of year! And what better way to get into the season than with the best Halloween books for toddlers and preschoolers? It’s all treats and no tricks!
Am I the only one who finds Halloween a holiday that’s a bit difficult to explain to my children? Um… we carve pumpkins and get dressed up to collect candy and then mommy will only let you eat about 2 pieces of it. Also, I don’t know why we do this. It’s a bit weird, right??
But despite its oddness, I LOVE Halloween. It’s even more fun as a parent than it was as a child. If only I had known as a kid that my parents were having more fun than I was!
Last year on Halloween, we had my sister come with us (it would have been insane for us to take our 1.5-year-old twins and 3.5-year-old trick-or-treating by ourselves.) She even admitted that it was even more fun than when she was a kid. Plus, when you eat your kid’s candy, the calories are negated since you pretend it never happened.
I love reading books to my children to explain Halloween. There’s just no questioning the classics! Read on for my absolute favorite Halloween books for toddlers and preschoolers.
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The Best Halloween Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers
At the beginning of each season (or holiday), I go to the library and check out every book on the subject. Our librarian is awesome and I just ask her and she looks them up and hands me a big stack. It’s awesome. I can’t help but buy a few of our favorites off of Amazon each year.
Pro tip: Make an Amazon wishlist and add books to it when you find library books that your children love. It doesn’t matter if it’s seasonal. My kids will not find it weird at all to receive books at Christmas about the beach or Halloween. Grandparents might even send a book your way each holiday season if they know you have an ongoing list! Wink, wink.
- Room on the Broom
- It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
- Goodnight Goon
- Clifford’s Halloween
- Big Pumpkin
- Spooky Pooky
- There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat
- Five Little Pumpkins
Read –> The Best Fall Books For Children
Room on the Broom
Julia Donaldson is one of my favorite children’s book authors and this book is just delightful. The illustrations are wonderful and the rhyming story is so fun. The friendly witch makes room on her broom for all of the animal friends who ask for a ride. This is also on Netflix! We haven’t watched it yet but plan to soon.
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is the definition of a classic. The fall colors in this book are beautiful and the story is, of course, very sweet! You can’t go wrong adding this to your collection.
Goodnight Goon
This is a fun, silly rendition of the classic bedtime story, Goodnight Moon. It is so hilarious and we end up laughing every time we read it. The illustrations are full of detail and my children stare at the pages and point out new things every time we read. I thought it might be too scary for my sensitive 4-year-old, but I was pleasantly surprised that it makes monsters and ghosts seem silly and funny rather than scary. It is perfect!
Clifford’s Halloween
This book is great for toddlers and younger children. The Clifford books are a favorite in our household! This story is simple, easy to follow, and an overall fun read. This is a great book to help young children understand what to expect when they go trick-or-treating.
The Big Pumpkin
This book is the perfect Halloween book for preschool or early elementary-school-aged children. The story is about a witch who grows a very big pumpkin and wants to make a pumpkin pie. It’s so big that she can’t get it off the vine and many other characters stop by to help her. At the end of the story, they all eat pumpkin pie together! This story is frequently requested in our house.
Spooky Pookie
Sandra Boynton is another of my favorite children’s book authors, ESPECIALLY for toddlers. They are all such classics and Spooky Pookie is just as charming as all of her other books. Pookie doesn’t know what to be for Halloween and tries on costume after costume.
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat
If your children like the classic “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” then they will LOVE this Halloween variation. It’s witty and entertaining and a great addition to your book collection.
Five Little Pumpkins
I love this rhyming book and it is great for toddlers who are learning their numbers. The illustrations in this book are truly wonderful. There are other versions of this story out there, but the reviews for this book are the best and we have been thrilled with it!
Little Blue Truck’s Halloween
We *cough* I mean my children are obsessed with all of the Little Blue Truck books. I’m pretty sure we own them all! They are so cute and fun to read. In the Halloween version, life the flaps to discover what Little Blue and all his friends will choose for costumes. This is a fantastic story and the pictures are wonderful as well.
If You’re Spooky and You Know It
“If you’re spooky and you know it, clap your hands!” We have SO MUCH FUN with this book! It is definitely one that is best for silly time and not a quiet bedtime book. I love that this book is interactive and my children can sing and act along.
It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse
This is a sweet little story from the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” series, and we love all of them! In this story, mouse and his friends paint faces on all of the pumpkins in the patch. This is great for counting the pumpkins and teaching emotions as the friends draw different faces on the pumpkins (happy, sad, silly, angry, etc.) I have my children make the same faces as we’re reading and it is SO funny and cute!
There are my favorites! I love all of these books so much I seriously couldn’t pick just one favorite if you asked me. I hope you enjoy checking these out from your library or adding to your collection! And if there are Halloween books for toddlers and preschoolers you love that I missed, I’d love to hear from you!
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