13 Days of Halloween and Other Halloween Books

 My son loves Halloween and all things fall! We have spent a lot of time decorating and reading library books on the topic. I've chosen some of our favorites to share with you. These stories are great for reading at home or in the classroom.

The 13 Days of Halloween by Carol Greene

I chose this book for my husband to read to our son at bedtime, and I know it would be a favorite if I read it to my class. If you know the 12 Days of Christmas song and story, this one follows the same pattern. There's one caveat, though - there are 13 days and the last one is a cliffhanger. It's the perfect way to get children involved in writing the ending!

Six Creepy Sheep by Judith Ross Enderle

This is a short book that is good for subtraction and reading of number words. It's a nice easy read for younger kids and a fast read aloud. Check out a video of it here. 

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

This one is a favorite of my fourth graders every year, and obviously others love it too, because it was turned into a film in 2012. The rhyming and repetition make it easy to follow along, and it always has them rolling on the floor laughing. This is also why it's great for younger kids, who will want to read it again and again. Here it is in play version. Check out the DVD trailer, too!

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

The possibilities for participation in this read aloud are endless. Kids love the repetition and acting out clomp, wiggle, shake, clap, and nod as well as running, jumping, hiding, peeking, and laughing! It's fun to point out the onomatopeia and collect the verbs. View a read aloud here.

How to Catch a Monster by Adam Wallace

We love this series! We own many books from it, catching monsters and leprechauns and tooth fairies. My son's interest wasn't kept the entire time and I think part of it was that he's still afraid of the idea of monsters. Associating ninjas with monsters wasn't really making sense to him, but he seems less scared of monsters now. Watch the read aloud here.

Night of the Pumpkinheads by Michael J. Rosen

At first glance, this book's pictures are pretty cool. If you have anything like The Great Jack-o'lantern Blaze near you, your kids will love this! And if not, it's a nice substitute. The tone can be a bit negative in terms of how the pumpkins talk (it included the dreaded "s" word, stupid) and spoiler alert - the kids aren't afraid of scary pumpkins. Still, the book has some redeeming qualities. It includes some figurative language including similes and has some science related vocabulary related to animals and vegetables. Children are introduced to foods they may not have ever had before, such as radishes, rutabagas, parsnips, and leeks. The message at the end is that kids are afraid of them, but I would have like to have seen the kids try to eat them!

Looking for other Halloween posts? Click here for printables, songs, and videos.