Halloween Classics for Kids

Halloween is almost here! Do you give out lots of candy? Or maybe 'healthy' treats like apples and toothbrushes? What about books? When my kids were little, they often got books for special days. So I decided I would share some of my favorites with you!

One of my favorites has to be It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles M. Schulz, of course! It's a special treat whether we are reading together or watching the video!

Another of my favorites is Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino. We were taught this rhyming verse long ago in kindergarten and it didn't lose any of the fun years later when I taught it to my kids.

The Clifford the Big Red Dog series by Norman Bridwell is a favorite of children, so it is not surprising to find Clifford's Halloween on my list!

The same can be said for Arthur's Halloween, part of the Arthur series by Marc Brown.

The Berenstain Bears books by Stan and Jan Berenstain have always been favorites in our house. The are perfect for read-aloud or for independent reading by young readers. And The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat are a fun addition to your collection for this time of year.

While not strictly Halloween in theme, the Gus the Ghost series by Jane Thayer is fun anytime of year, but is special in a non-threatening kind of way at Halloween. And you can find Gus involved with other holidays, too!

One of my favorite 'read-aloud' books at this time of year has always been The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams. The sing-song rhyme is so much fun!

For older, middle-grade kids, you can't beat Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwarz. This is a series of short stories with some great, creepy illustrations. We own the original version. I'm told that in the updated version, the illustrations are a bit tamer.

And of course, everyone has read R. L. Stine, right! I think for awhile, we owned everyone of his Goosebumps books published, and purchased each new one as it was released.

Once we outgrew Goosebumps, we started in on the Fear Street series, also by R. L. Stine.











There's my list of classic Halloween tales. I'm sure if my kids were little today, I'd be adding some Dora, SpongeBob, and other current favorite characters to this list! What about you? What would you suggest for someone looking for a Halloween tale to treat their little spooks with?