Bright smiling jack-o-lanterns and bowls full of candy… what’s not to love about Halloween? But Halloween isn’t just for celebrating on October 31st. No, we can enjoy it all month long with some fun picture books! And don’t worry friends, these Halloween books are all treats and no tricks, perfect for young students in the primary classroom!

Using Halloween Books to Celebrate

If you know me, you probably already know how much I adore using picture books in the classroom. They’re perfect for learning about new topics and of course… celebrating! When it comes to building up the anticipation for Halloween, there’s nothing more fun than adding some festive picture books to your read-aloud routine.

For primary learners, I choose Halloween books that are playful and fun and definitely not scary! Luckily for us, there are many options to choose from. In fact, I have a whole list of my Halloween book favorites on Amazon! But if you’d like some more specific recommendations, keep reading! If you want to add a bit of Halloween flair to your lessons, I know you’ll love these not-so-scary books for little learners!

The Spooky Wheels on the Bus by J. Elizabeth Mills

You know the classic children’s song “The Wheels on the Bus”, well this book brings a spooky twist to that fun song that everyone loves. Best of all, it’s a counting book too! You’ll start with One Spooky Bus and count all the way up to Ten Goofy Ghosts as you work your way through the book.

I love to use this book multiple times throughout the month of October since it’s read as a song. Once I’ve read it a few times, everyone remembers the words and sings along with me. It’s a perfect movement activity to break up your day and shake out the wiggles when everyone is a bit rambunctious. Which, if we’re being honest is usually the whole month of October right? Halloween is exciting after all! Give this fun Halloween book a try in your room to kick off the celebration.

Halloween, Here I Come by DJ Steinburg

This book was written by the author of Kindergarten, Here I Come, so if you liked that book – you’ll love this one! It’s an adorable collection of Halloween poems that your students will love. Everything from choosing the best costume to going trick-or-treating to sorting candy and even what might happen if you eat too much of it is discussed in this adorable book.

I love the cute and playful illustrations in this one and my students always love to see the costumes that the kids are wearing. This is a great book to use as an opening discussion for what your students might like to dress up as or what they’re most looking forward to about Halloween.

Max the Ghost Wants to Find a Friend by Marshall A. Almeida

If there’s one thing that’s universally needed for children and adults alike, it’s friendship. In this adorable Halloween book, follow along to hear the story of Max, a lonely young ghost who is in search of a friend. This book might be about a ghost, but there’s nothing scary about it. Instead, you’ll journey along with Max as he meets all kinds of creatures in a search for companionship.

He meets bats, spiders, and a mouse but none of them seem to be the friend he was looking for. He is just about to lose hope when he meets a ghost dog. They both find out right away they were meant to be friends! This book is a great story to read to your students during October for a little bit of Halloween flair, but more than that – a great storyline about true friendship.

How to Catch a Witch by Alice Walstead

Have you read any of the fun books from the How to Catch a… series? If not, you’re in for a treat! You’ll want to add this one to your collection of fun Halloween books for your students! In this book, some children discover a witch on a broom that has opened a magical portal and released all kinds of creepy creatures!

The children jump into action and set all kinds of inventive traps to try and capture the witch! This book is filled with STEM concepts that your students will love as they listen along and see if the witch is captured. You might even add an extension activity of this book afterward and have your students brainstorm ways they might try to build a trap to catch a witch in their neighborhood. This magical book with get your kids thinking and smiling in the best way!

Snowmen at Halloween by Caralyn M. Buehner

If you’ve read Snowmen at Night, you’ll love this book with a Halloween twist! In this book, some children have built some snowmen after an early snowfall. Then they head out for trick-or-treating. After the children have had their Halloween fun and head off the bed, the snowmen have their own frightfully fun evening!

They set up their very own Halloween festival. There’s candy for everyone to enjoy, costume contests, apple bobbing, and more fall fun for everyone! When the children wake up, the snowmen are gone but have left behind a special surprise for them. Your kids will absolutely LOVE this book, trust me! It’s one of our favorites. I like to follow up this book with a writing prompt about what kind of fun fall mischief each student’s snowman might get into while they are asleep!

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams

This is one of my favorite Halloween books of all time and the students love it year after year as well. This book is filled with fun descriptive language that illustrates a spooky evening walk so well. This is one of those books that I tend to pull out all the voices and sounds for to add dramatic effect. The kids love it!

The Little Old Lady in this book isn’t afraid of anything…. well until she starts to hear some creepy noises behind her. Kids will love following along as new sounds are added on each page. And, there’s a fun surprise at the end that will make everyone smile. Definitely save this one for read-aloud time because it’s just so much fun!

Halloween Is… by Gail Gibbons

If you’re looking for a nonfiction book all about Halloween, this is going to be your best bet! Gail Gibbons is one of my favorite authors when it comes to books about seasonal celebrations. She writes great descriptions for everything about the holiday and the colorful pictures are always so much fun to look at.

This Halloween book is no exception! Inside you’ll find information about pumpkins, costumes, masks, trick or treating, Halloween parties, and more! I like to read this one towards the beginning of October and then ask students how they have celebrated Halloween in the past, or how they are looking forward to celebrating it in the future. You might even make an anchor chart and then have students use it as inspiration to write a sentence or two about Halloween.

The Halloween Tree by Susan Montanari 

I love traditions of all kinds. The more the merrier in my opinion! If you feel the same way, you’ll probably love this fun Halloween book! In this book, students will follow along as they learn about a grumpy, old tree that has no desire to ever become a Christmas tree. He doesn’t like lights or decorations, so Christmas is out of the question for him!

Instead, the children in this book have many different ideas to put him to good use instead. Your students will love all of the creative ideas that the children come up with in this book. They might even be interested in finding a Halloween Tree of their own to decorate this year!

Pug & Pig Trick or Treat by Sue Lowell Gallion

Looking for a playful and silly story to add to your Halloween books lineup? You’ll love this one! Two friends, Pug and Pig are all ready to celebrate Halloween with matching costumes. Their fancy skeleton costumes are warm and cozy, glow in the dark, and are perfect for trick-or-treating! But… there’s a problem!

Pug hates wearing his costume and decides to rip it up and stay home instead. Poor Pig is so sad and must find a way to get his beloved friend out trick or treating with him! This is a super cute little book that your students will love. They might even have some ideas of their own to get Pug back in the Halloween spirit!

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

Last on this list of Halloween books, I think you’ll love Room on the Broom. This cute Halloween story tells the tale of a witch and her cat flying through the night when all of a sudden… the wind picks up and blows away the witch’s hat, bow, and wand! Thankfully, some nice animals help find her missing items and all they ask in return is for a ride on the broom. The witch worries there won’t be enough room for everyone on the broom!

Your students will love this playful picture book with bright, vivid illustrations and a funny storyline. This is a great book to use for teaching students about story elements and character analysis as well. Since there are so many different characters in the book, there are plenty of opportunities to compare and contrast and teach students about using text evidence to deepen understanding.

Keep Track of These Halloween Books with a Reading Challenge

Isn’t this lineup of Halloween books fun?! I love that they’re just spooky enough to add some seasonal flair, but they each tell a fun and playful story of Halloween fun. That’s the kind of Halloween I like to celebrate! If you’re wondering how to add even more Halloween fun to your classroom, don’t worry – I’ve got you covered… Try a reading challenge!

This October Reading Challenge pairs perfectly with the books on this list. It’s a bit like a reading log, but way more fun! Students will select a prompt on the page such as “Read a book with a pumpkin on the cover” or “Read a book about dressing up in costumes”. As they read, they fill that space on their page until the challenge is complete! This resource also comes with writing pages and book reviews so that students can reflect on what they’ve learned. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention – it’s editable too! This means you add exactly the type of book prompts you’d like to use for your students. It’s a great way to encourage reading and keep track of all the fun Halloween books you’re reading! Happy Haunting, friend!

Looking for More Book Recommendations?

Here are a few more posts to take a peek at!

• My Favorite Bat and Spider Books for Kids
• Fall Picture Books for the Primary Classroom
• Apples and Pumpkins Picture Books

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