These Halloween picture books are packed with ghosts, witches, pumpkins, creepy creatures, and plenty of not-too-scary fun for October read-alouds!
This list features new and older fall and Halloween picture books for storytime, classroom read-alouds, library displays, and cozy autumn reading. You’ll find silly scares, Dia de los Muertos, skeletons, trick-or-treating, and plenty of Halloween fun.
Note that the first six titles are recent 2026 releases.
See the full list of 16 Halloween Picture Books in this Amazon list.
Author: Daniel Kwan and Julia Pott
Illustrator: Sean Lewis
Genre: picture book, holidays / seasonal
Setting: inside a ghost's cozy home and bedroom
Themes: ghosts, social anxiety, parties, getting ready, friendship, shyness, worrying, social connection
Protagonist: conventional white-sheeted ghost with rosy cheeks; ghost is invisible until last page
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred reviews: Booklist and Publishers Weekly
Publication date: August 25, 2026
Help a white-sheeted ghost get ready for a party! What should she wear? What will she bring? This adorable picture book is a great springboard to talk about worry and social anxiety.
Author and Illustrator: Brandon James Scott
Genre: extended picture book, humor
Setting: the cozy home of a skeleton wearing a black robe
Themes: Halloween, skeletons, unlikely friendships, cats, short stories, Canadian author, Canadian illustrator, solitude, bookish, cozy stories
Protagonist: peaceful female skeleton and spunky (and persistent!) black cat
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred Reviews: Kirkus, Booklist, BCCB, Hornbook, and Publishers Weekly
Publication Date: July 7, 2026
This one is a great choice if you want Halloween atmosphere without anything genuinely scary. The cozy friendship between the skeleton and the cat will have readers ready to curl up with a good book and a hot cup of tea.
Author: Chris Baker
Illustrator: Byron Eggenschwiler
Genre: informational picture book
Themes: spiders, art in nature, everyday wonders, fear of spiders, spiderwebs
Protagonist: brown orbweaver spider
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred Reviews: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Hornbook
Publication Date: July 7, 2026
Gorgeous and fascinating! This is an especially strong choice for librarians looking for informational picture books that still feel seasonal enough for an October display. This one pairs well with my Spiders Storytime!
Author: Teri Sloat
Illustrator: Zuzana Cupova
Setting: a shadowy night (possibly Halloween night)
Themes: creepy stories, Halloween reads, witches, rhyming stories, fear, being chased, limited color palettes, black and white illustrations
Protagonist: three white children, two have orange-red hair
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred Reviews: Kirkus, Hornbook, and Publishers Weekly
Publication date: July 28, 2026
The recurring “Scritch! Scratch!” refrain practically begs children to join in, making it an excellent candidate for Halloween storytimes.
Author and Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Genre: oversized board book; picture book
Setting: a seemingly empty house
Themes: ghosts, homes, furniture, imagination, interactive stories, Halloween read-alouds
Protagonist: unseen narrator and a white-sheeted ghost
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 2
Starred Reviews: Hornbook, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly
Release date: July 14, 2026
A wonderfully unusual haunted-house story! The narrator tells us the house is empty, but the reader will know that’s not true at all…
Author: R.J. Palacio
Illustrator: Brett Helquist
Genre: picture book, holidays / seasonal
Setting: Halloween night; a colorful playground
Themes: imagination, Halloween, ghosts, playground games, Halloween costumes, play, rhyming stories
Protagonist: Ghost King Rex Magnificus and his army of ghosts; human characters are two young, brown-skinned siblings in their pajamas
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred Reviews: Booklist
Publication Date: July 21, 2026
A haunted playground sounds like the perfect setting for some spooky fun! This playful pick takes an everyday kid-favorite place and gives it a delightfully creepy Halloween twist.
Author and Illustrator: Zoey Abbott
Genre: picture book, holidays
Setting: home of a little girl and her father
Themes: Halloween, Halloween costumes, self-expression, trick-or-treating, independence, growing up
Protagonist: a little girl and her father; skin tone is the white of the page
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred Reviews: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and SLJ
Publication Date: July 15, 2025
A young girl who wants a scary Halloween costume this year. But when she dresses up as a witch, she may be a little too scary! Luckily, her dad is there to help.
Author: Beth Ferry
Illustrator: Charles Santoso
Genre: picture book
Setting: a young witch’s house and neighborhood, a pet store, the sea, the library
Themes: getting a new pet, pet ownership, Halloween, mystery eggs
Protagonist: young and cute female witch, peach skin and green hair
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred Reviews: Publishers Weekly
Publication Date: July 8, 2025
There’s something missing from Evelyn Witch’s life, but she’s not sure what. Did she forget something? She isn’t sure until…she walks by a pet store. That’s it! Evelyn Witch wants a pet!
Author: Sally Nicholls
Illustrator: Júlia Sardà
Publication date: August 13, 2024
Genre(s): picture book, scary stories, fairy tales
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 5
Themes: death, Grimm's fairy tales, dark fairy tales, Halloween read-alouds, fairness, tricking death, rich and poor
Protagonist: human characters skin color is the white of the page
Starred reviews: Publishers Weekly and Kirkus
Notes: Based on a lesser-known Grimm Brothers fairy tale.
Release Date: August 13, 2024
For readers who like their fairy tales on the darker side! This Grimm tale about a poor fisherman who meets Death is eerie, strange, and thought-provoking—a great pick for older elementary and middle school readers during spooky season. The illustrations are gorgeous, but leave some extra time for the read-aloud.
Authors: Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio
Illustrator: John Picacio
Genre: picture book, holidays
Setting: Día de los Muertos
Themes: holidays and celebrations, death, Día de los Muertos, grief, grandfathers, Latin traditions, ofrendas, four horsemen, culture, family
Protagonist: young girl, tan-skinned
Recommended for: K-5
Starred Reviews: Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus
Release Date: August 26, 2025
A gentle, beautifully illustrated choice for Halloween. This one explores grief, remembrance, and Día de Muertos traditions, making it especially meaningful for readers who prefer thoughtful over spooky.
Author: Lance Bass
Illustrator: Roland Garrigue
Genre(s): picture book, holidays, humor
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Setting: Halloween night on Scary Street
Themes: trick-or-treating, Halloween, fear, rhyming books, unreliable narrators, vampires, witches, Halloween tricks
Protagonist: several costumed children, diverse skin tones
Starred Reviews: no starred reviews
Publication Date: July 23, 2024
This rhyming trick-or-treat story has lots of descriptive vocabulary and fun details in the illustrations!
Author and Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Genre: early chapter book, folktale, picture book for older readers
Setting: winter in the Tyrol region of Europe, an alpine area between western Austria and northern Italy
Themes: skulls, skeletons, running away, danger, dread, friendship, safety, Halloween read-alouds, Brothers Grimm, creepy stories, fear
Protagonist: young, pale-skinned girl and a skull without a body
Recommended for: K-Grade 4
Starred Reviews: Booklist, SLJ, Hornbook, and Publishers Weekly
Publication Date: July 11, 2023
A brave little girl named Otilla has finally run away from a terrible danger. She runs far and fast, until she gets lost and collapses in the snow. When she wakes, she finds a lonely house with a lonely skull inside. The skull is afraid of something, too. Something that comes every night. A gorgeous read-aloud for older readers.
Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: Axel Scheffler
Genre: picture book
Themes: rhyming books, fables, witches, trolls, ghosts, being bad, courage, Halloween reads
Protagonist: rhyming books, fables, witches, trolls, ghosts, being bad, courage, Halloween reads
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred reviews: Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus
Publication date: August 1, 2023 (first published in the UK in 2022)
Can the nastiest troll, ghost, and witch around scare the new girl in town? Maybe not! A playful, not-too-scary Halloween choice from the creators of The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom.
Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: Axel Scheffler
Genre: picture book
Setting: nighttime ride on a witch's broomstick
Themes: friendship, witches, dragons, rhyming stories, onomatopoeia
Protagonist: friendly witch with red hair
Recommended for: Grades K-3
Starred reviews: none
Publication date: August 25, 2003
A perennial favorite! A witch goes for a nighttime ride on her broomstick. When she accidentally drops personal objects, a frog, a bird, and a dog help her recover them. They get to ride on her broomstick, but soon they need to save their new witch friend from a dragon!
Author: Raúl the Third
Illustrator: Raúl the Third and Elaine Bay
Genre: picture book, holidays / seasonal
Setting: community and cemetery during Halloween and Día de los Muertos celebrations
Themes: Halloween, Día de los Muertos, honoring ancestors, cemeteries, Latinx traditions, cultural traditions, ofrendas, trick-or-treating, neighbors, Spanish language
Protagonist: anthropomorphic, male-coded, Latino-coded, young wolf/canine
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred reviews: Hornbook, Kirkus, and SLJ
Publication date: July 16, 2024
A colorful, energetic celebration of both Halloween and Día de los Muertos! This is a fun pick for introducing traditions, celebrations, and Spanish vocabulary during the fall season.
Author and Illustrator: Matthew Forsythe
Genre: picture book
Setting: haunted house
Themes: ghosts, tic-tac-toe, haunted houses, setting up house rules, sharing spaces with others, being considerate of others, friendship
Protagonist: young girl, pale-skinned
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 3
Starred Reviews: Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly
Publication Date: August 19, 2025
Sweet, funny, and more charming than scary! Aggie’s unexpected ghostly encounter makes this a great choice for younger readers who want a ghost story without too many chills.
