The 12 Best Halloween Books for Toddlers & Preschoolers
“I love pumpkins!” my toddler shouted as he turned the last page.
I’d read it to him exactly three times and he had it memorized.
Holiday books are a gripe of mine. They seem to be quickly thrown together as an easy way for publishers to sell a book. Fortunately, many Halloween books don’t follow that trend.
Though Halloween is not my favorite holiday, I’ve found some great Halloween books that I’d like to share with you. These are the best Halloween books for toddlers and preschoolers.
The 12 Best Halloween Books for Toddlers & Preschoolers – Quick Shop
- Where’s the Pumpkin? Fhiona Galloway
- Spooky Pookie Sandra Bonyton
- Llama Llama Trick or Treat Anna Dewdney
- Find Spot at the Halloween Party Eric Hill
- Halloween Trick or Treat: A Colors Book Lydia Nichols
- Eek! Halloween! Sandra Bonyton
- The Goodnight Train Halloween June Sobel
- Little Blue Truck’s Halloween Alice Shertle
- Don’t Push the Button!: A Halloween Treat Bill Cotter
- We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt Goldie Hawk
- The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything Linda D. Williams
- Room on the Broom Julia Donaldson
The 12 Best Halloween Books for Toddlers & Preschoolers
1. Where’s the Pumpkin? Fhiona Galloway
Best for: 1-3 year olds
This Halloween book follows a cat named Spook as he searches for a pumpkin (which he’s never seen before). He mistakes a number of different items for a pumpkin, with other characters filling in additional descriptive features as he continues to look.
Where’s the Pumpkin? is such a basic book that I would have dismissed it as not interesting enough, but my toddlers love it. It taught them both what a pumpkin is and made them excited about getting one. And both of them love to repeat the last line, “I love pumpkins!”
2. Spooky Pookie Sandra Bonyton
Best for: 1-3 year olds
Join Spooky Pookie as he decides what to be for Halloween. Will he be a dragon, a bear, or a ghost?
Spooky Pookie is a fun book to introduce your toddler to trick or treat. And to help him/her think about wearing a costume. All of Sandra Bonyton books are simple and rhyme in a way that sticks with you. Add this fun little book to your Halloween shelf.
3. Llama Llama Trick or Treat Anna Dewdney
Best for: 1-3 year olds
This simple book rhymes along as Llama Llama gets ready for Halloween. Follow along as he chooses a costume, carves a pumpkin, and gets ready to trick or treat.
Llama Llama Trick or Treat has just the right cadence to keep even your youngest toddler’s attention. It’s the perfect way to introduce Halloween traditions to little ones.
4. Find Spot at the Halloween Party Eric Hill
Best for: 1-3 year olds
This Spot book starts out with Spot getting ready for a Halloween party. But wait…where’d Spot go? Help the others find him before the party starts.
Find Spot at the Halloween Party is a fun, Halloween-themed lift-the-flap book that your toddler will ask to read again and again.
5. Halloween Trick or Treat: A Colors Book Lydia Nichols
Best for: 2-3 year olds
Halloween colors are not what you’d expect. Slightly creepy and always different. Follow along as this book introduces some interesting Halloween-themed colors.
I think the appeal of Halloween Trick or Treat: A Colors Book came with the reinforcement of colors for my barely 2-year-old. He’s started to be interested in what color everything is, so I loved that this book named each item by its color – Ex: “black vampire.” I could tell he was thinking as he processed these new-colored items. If your toddler is a similar age, you’ll love this too.
6. Eek! Halloween! Sandra Bonyton
Best for: 2-3 year olds
Something strange is going on and the chickens are spooked. They’ve seen some unusual things. What could it mean? Don’t worry chickens, it’s just Halloween.
Eek! Halloween! is another fun, rhyming book from Sandra Bonyton about Halloween. The idea behind this one is a little more complex than Spookie Pookie, so I recommend this for toddlers who are slightly older.
7. The Goodnight Train Halloween June Sobel
Best for: 2-3 year olds
The goodnight train is coming and is going through some creepy places this Halloween. You’ll see pumpkins, spiders, and smiling ghosts as you ride along on this Halloween train.
The Goodnight Train Halloween has all the elements that make it a great book for toddlers. Lots of action, rhymes, and fun images. My only complaint is that it’s a little too busy for your youngest toddler. The pages are full of bright colors and so many images that it can be hard to know where to focus.
8. Little Blue Truck’s Halloween Alice Shertle
Best for: 2-4 year olds
Little Blue Truck is back in Little Blue Truck’s Halloween. Come along as Blue picks up each friend for the Halloween party. Lift the flap to see which familiar character is under each costume.
This is a beautifully illustrated and fun Halloween book. If you’re looking for something that isn’t spooky or scary, this is a great option. It will teach your toddler about Halloween and costumes without making them afraid.
9. Don’t Push the Button!: A Halloween Treat Bill Cotter
Best for: 2-5 year olds
Larry has one last house on his trick-or-treating route, but he’s too scared to go up to it. You just can’t resist pressing the doorbell button, though. And, of course, he can’t stop you. What will you find? Monsters? Or something else?
Don’t Push the Button!: A Halloween Treat is a cute, anticipatory book. Even though Larry is scared of the house (he’s heard there are monsters there), there’s nothing scary about what he finds. A funny interactive book for toddlers and preschoolers.
10. We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt Goldie Hawk
Best for: 2-5 year olds
This twist on the classic Where Going on a Bear Hunt uses similar lines and a Halloween theme for a pumpkin hunt.
As the characters encounter different Halloween items — cats, cobwebs, and a friendly ghost — they eventually find their pumpkin. The nice thing about this one is that the kids are never scared. It makes it a good book to talk about Halloween in a fun way.
11. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything Linda D. Williams
Best for: 2-5 year olds
As this fearless old lady goes about her day, she runs into a few scary things. But not to fear, she is not afraid of anything and finds a logical solution to this frightening problem.
One of the things my son loves about The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything is the repeated phrases and sounds as the little old lady encounters each item. Soon you’ll both find yourself walking around repeating the whole book from memory.
This Halloween book is perfect for toddlers and those who don’t like Halloween’s darker sides.
12. Room on the Broom Julia Donaldson
Best for: 3-5 year olds
This witch seems to constantly encounter helpful animals who only request a seat on her broom. There’s just one problem, a broom can only support so much weight.
Room on the Broom is a heart-warming Halloween book about kindness, sharing, and making space for others. There is a little danger in this book, which is the only scary part. The witch is also a witch who rides on a broom, casts spells, and does other witchy things. You may want to skip this one if you’d prefer not to introduce those topics to your child.
Related: The Best Christmas Books for Toddlers & The Best Books for 2-Year-Olds
There you have the best Halloween books for toddlers and preschoolers. Grab any of the books on this list as a great way to introduce your toddler to Halloween. And pretty soon they’ll be shouting “I love pumpkins!” too.
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