Top Five Young Children's Books for Halloween

Here are five Halloween books with trick-or-treaters, jack-o-lanterns, witches and monsters suitable for young children, age 0-5 years. The first two listed have minimal scary elements for very young or easily frightened children; the last three are a bit darker but are a hit with most toddlers and preschoolers. Pour yourself a glass of apple cider, toast some pumpkin seeds, and enjoy sharing a good book with your child!

Rosemary Wells, Max's Halloween

Max wants to trick-or-treat his way, but bossy big sister Ruby tries to spoil his fun. Rosemary Wells' Max books are big winners with most kids. The subtly funny pictures and character names, such as the Warthog sisters, are cute but the best part of this book is the candy names: Grape Grenades, Fruit Bats, Gummy Toads, and our house favorite - Slime Dribblers! For young readers, this is available in a durable board book edition.

Tasha Tudor, Pumpkin Moonshine

This gentle tale of a young girl visiting her grandparents and making plans for the biggest "Pumpkin Moonshine" (jack-o-lantern) ever celebrates the fall harvest. Tasha Tudor's soft, distinctive illustrations are a refreshing dose of old-fashioned charm. One of the few Halloween books out there with no scary elements, just a good story.

Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler, Room on the Broom

An unusual witch makes friends with a pack of animals, who are there to help her in return when she meets an unfriendly dragon. There are smooth rhymes, and great pictures of a smiling, cheerful witch. The underlying message is about making friends and helping others, and all ends well.

Linda Williams illustrated by Megan Lloyd, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

A brave little old lady is menaced by an ever-growing clothing monster that chases her home. A terrific book to read aloud, with a fun interactive chorus of shoes that go "clomp clomp," pants that go "wiggle wiggle", and a very scary pumpkin head. There's a twist at the end by the little old lady who is not only unafraid, but clever.

Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are

At Halloween, the monsters come out. This is the best monster book for kids, ever, and won the Caldecott Medal in 1964. Only ten sentences long but with groundbreaking pictures, it's the story of Max, who was sent to his room for bad behavior, and escaped to the land of the Wild Things. We all have monsters inside of us that we must learn to control. Let the wild rumpus start, dance with your monsters, and may your dinner always be hot and waiting for you on your return.

All books available at Amazon.