Best Classic Halloween Books and Spooky Stories

10/18/07 - By Anna Fader

To little kids, Halloween is pretty abstract. To bigger kids, it's just awesome. Either way, reading some great Halloween stories is a fun way to extend the fun and excitement of Halloween. I've collected my all-time favorite Halloween books, a bunch of classics and a couple of brand-new classics. All sure to either make Halloween even spookier or a little less so. Judith Viorst is probably best known for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, but her other books are just as great. That includes My Mama Says There Aren't Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Demons, Monsters, Fiend. I love this book because it deals with the very real issue kids have over just how much they can trust their parents when it comes to things like whether monsters exist or not. {C}

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Scary stories age pretty well. In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories was probably your first book of spooky tales and it works just as well today as it did, eh hem, not too long ago. Jan Pienkowski is the ultimate when it comes to pop-up books. Each page of Haunted House has multiple layers of fun to discover. I remember just being amazed when I read this book in the 80s. It was revolutionary for a children's pop-up book and it still is. Maurice Sendak is my absolute favorite and I bought Mommy? right away when it came out. A Maurice Sendak pop-up. How cool. It's a bit of a take on the PD Eastman classic, Are You My Mother?, with a Halloween twist, and with all of Sendak's wit and humor. The Monster at the End of this Book with lovable furry old grover was actually my little sister's favorite book growing up. It is absolutely irresistible. I thank Melissa over at Alpha Mom for the tip that they've come out with a pop-up version of this classic monster story, Please Do Not Open this Book!, for even more fun. Georgie. Awww. Remember Georgie? Scary, Scary Halloween Jan Brett is another of my favorite illustrators and she brings her magic to spooky Halloween creatures in this sweet book. One of the things I loved doing with my mom was reading scary stories out loud. Maybe because my mom would actually get really scared and it was hilarious to me. Anyway, You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together is the Halloween installment of a series of books that are written to literally be read together with parent and child taking turns reading the dialogue. For a more traditional read-aloud book try the Scary Stories Boxed Set packed with more spooky bedtime stories than you can shake a witch's broom at. Halloween Hits is not a book, but classic for sure. This CD has every song you might want to add a little Halloween "cheer" (?) to your holiday. A must-have if you are throwing a Halloween party.