20 Bone-Chilling Halloween Books for Kids

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Looking for the perfect Halloween books for kids that will send delightful shivers down their spines? Whether you’re setting the mood for a haunted bedtime story or getting ready for a cosy night in with a thrilling read, this list of 20 bone-chilling tales is sure to captivate young readers. From charming ghosts to mischievous monsters, these books offer just the right mix of fun and fright to make Halloween unforgettable.

1. The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt

Authors: Riel Nason and Byron Eggenschwiler

Ghosts are supposed to be sheets, light as air and able to whirl and twirl and float and soar. But the little ghost who is a quilt cant whirl or twirl at all, and when he flies, he gets very hot. He doesn’t know why he’s a quilt. His parents are both sheets, and so are all of his friends. (His great-grandmother was a lace curtain, but that doesn’t really help cheer him up.) He feels sad and left out when his friends are zooming around and he cant keep up. But one Halloween, everything changes. The little ghost who was a quilt has an experience that no other ghost could have, an experience that only happens because he’s a quilt… and he realises that its OK to be different.

2. How to Make Friends With a Ghost

Author: Rebecca Green

What do you do when you meet a ghost? One: Provide the ghost with some of its favourite snacks, like mud tarts and earwax truffles. Two: Tell your ghost bedtime stories (ghosts love to be read to). Three: Make sure no one mistakes your ghost for whipped cream or a marshmallow when you aren’t looking! If you follow the essential tips in How to Make Friends With a Ghost, you’ll learn how a ghost can be the perfect companion for rest of your life and beyond…

3. There’s a Ghost in this House

Author/Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers

A captivating picture book with interactive transparent pages, from world-renowned artist Oliver Jeffers.

Hello, come in.
Maybe you can help me?

A young girl lives in a haunted house, but has never seen a ghost. Are they white with holes for eyes? Are they hard to see? She’d love to know! Step inside and turn the transparent pages to help her on an entertaining ghost hunt, from behind the sofa, right up to the attic. With lots of friendly ghost surprises and incredible mixed media illustrations, this unique and funny book will entertain young readers over and over again!

4. The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale

Author/Illustrator: Jon Klassen

In a big abandoned house, on a barren hill, lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit – with rich, monochromatic artwork and an illuminating author’s note – The Skull is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding.

5. GOTCHA!

Author/Illustrator: Clotilde Perrin

An exquisite fairy tale lift-the-flaps hide-and-seek from the international bestselling author of Inside the Villains .
“Quick, hide!” Chased by monsters – a hairball, a stinkwart and a creeper – each hairier and stinkier than the one before, a child needs to find shelter in three famous fairytale houses. The Three Little Pigs’ brick home, Sleeping Beauty’s palace and Hansel and Gretel’s gingerbread mansion.

Lift the flaps big and small to discover curious places for the child’s best chance to hide. Knock on the door of the Little Pigs’ bathroom, open up Hansel and Gretel’s oven (if you dare!) or see who’s already inside Sleeping Beauty’s stopped clock.
The hero of our story has read their story books and knows how to vanquish villains, causing the monsters to flee.This intricately produced large fold-out book is like no other: a celebration of fairy tales and child empowerment that’s full of humor and detail on every page. Over 40 interactive elements to mesmerize pre-schoolers and independent readers.

A multi-layered book with flaps within flaps and multiple fold outs, Gotcha! is the ultimate interactive gift book that will captivate children ages 4 and up. A perfect book for any child who enjoys fractured fairy tales.

6. Pick a Pumpkin

Author: Patricia Toht
Illustrator: Jarvis

Pick a pumpkin from the patch – tall and lean or short and fat. Vivid orange, ghostly white, or speckled green, might be just right…

Illustrated by the winner of the V&A Best Illustrated Book 2017.

It’s Halloween! Which means it’s time to dangle cobwebs and bats from the windows, put on costumes, and – most important of all – visit the pumpkin patch and pick out that perfect pumpkin! Then cart it home, scoop out the insides, carve a scary face, and finally light a candle inside, transforming it into a one-of-a-kind, glowing jack-o’-lantern.

With warm, autumnal art, and a rhythmic read-aloud text that captures all the excitement and familial feeling of Halloween, this is the perfect book to share by flickering candlelight on the spookiest night of the year.

7. I Am Bat

Author: Morag Hood

This eye-poppingly colourful, hilarious book is an instant winner with children and adults alike. Starring an adorably grumpy bat and animal friends, I Am Bat is perfect for fans of Superbat and Oi Frog!

Bat’s cherries keep going missing. One by one, they are whisked away by mischievous animal tricksters behind Bat’s back. Super-talent Morag Hood cleverly draws the reader into this interactive story: as Bat attempts to track down the guilty cherry thief everyone’s a suspect – including you!

8. Ollie's Lost Kitten

Author: Nicola Killen

A spectacular autumn Halloween adventure, filled with pumpkins, black cats and witches, Ollie’s Lost Kitten is the perfect book for cozying up with on spooky nights! With striking illustrations, cutouts and foil inside, this series is a great way to help ones engage with, and explore textures and shape.

One windy autumn day, Ollie and her cat Pumpkin are jumping in piles of fallen leaves when they discover a little kitten. After lots of fun and games, Ollie learns that the kitten is actually lost, and she must help him find his way home! But after returning the kitten to his rightful owner, she realises she has lost something very dear to her . . .

With playful cutouts for little ones to look through and explore, Ollie’s Lost Kitten is the perfect gift book. This Halloween treat is the next in the bestselling Ollie series.

9. How To Grow & Eat Monster Vegetables

Author/Illustrator: M. P. Robertson

A fantastical reference hardback picture book with the serious message that however scary vegetables may look, they’re in fact fun to grow, harmless to eat and cracking to cook with!

Fiction and real life collide in How To Grow & Eat Monster Vegetables as grandfather James takes his grandchildren and the reader on an exciting journey of discovery through the Monster Vegetable garden.

Designed to encourage children to discover vegetables and packed full of gardening tips, recipes and more, the stunning, detailed ink and watercolour illustrations bring a whole host of Monster Vegetables to life in this brilliantly funny and clever guide.

10. Hazel and the Spooky Season

Author: Kyle Sullivan
Illustrator: Jess Mason

There is nothing Hazel loves more than autumn, the spookiest season. The only problem is, nobody else in her town seems to care. Everything changes when Hazel receives a visit from Ronnie Pumpkinseed, a supernatural pumpkin-headed ambassador for all things spooky. Ronnie teaches Hazel a special word for what she feels inside—Halloween!—and helps Hazel find the courage to be herself and follow her heart, even when it’s scary.

11. Poultrygeist

Author: Eric Geron
Illustrator: Pete Oswald

It’s punny. It’s spooky. It’s a meta picture book that puts a fresh spin on an old joke and elevates chicken comedy to ghastly new levels. A little spring chicken crosses the road but quickly gets flattened under a lorry. The barnyard beasts who’ve gone before break the news: now that Chicken’s fried – dispatched to the Other Side – Chicken has a job, an unwanted job, as a noisy trouble-making ghost. This fowl may be weak in the beak, but Chicken knows that scaring people isn’t nice. There is such a thing as a friendly ghost, after all – isn’t there? Loaded with laughs and shivers, this Halloween-ready treat features ghoulishly funny art by the illustrator of the #1 New York Times best-selling Bad Seed series. Let the haunting begin!

12. I Say Boo, You say Hoo

Author: John Kane a

“There’s something I need you to help me with. When I say BOO, you say HOO. Are you ready?”

Boo is little ghost who lives in a haunted house – and he is afraid of the dark.

In I Say Boo, You Say Hoo, readers must help tell the story with a series of hilarious verbal and visual cues. This is a wonderful book for sharing with a single child or in a group … and it’s a little bit stinky. Be prepared for riotous laughter at story time!

13. The House Of Madame M

Author: Clotilde Perrin

14. The Grotlyn

Author: Benji Davies

A stunningly illustrated picture book full of mystery and suspense, from the bestselling author of THE STORM WHALE and GRANDAD’S ISLAND.

“I know when the Grotlyn’s been
Slipping through your house unseen…”

What is the mysterious Grotlyn? What sort of creature could it be, scuttling across the town, frightening everyone in its path? And why has it stolen PC Vickers’ knickers?!

A beautifully illustrated rhyming tale about things that go bump in the night for ages four and up, from picture book superstar, Benji Davies, winner of Oscar’s First Book Prize 2014 and Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year 2015. Perfect for fans of Oliver Jeffers and Jon Klassen.

15. The Bad Seed Presents: The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky

Author: Jory John
Illustrator: Pete Oswald

Based on the New York Times bestselling picture book sensation The Bad Seed, Jory John and Pete Oswald present: The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky!Includes two sticker sheets, perfect for decorating your own mini jack-o’-lantern.

Halloween is the Bad Seed’s favorite holiday of the year. But what’s a seed to do when he can’t find a show-stopping costume for the big night? Postpone trick-or-treating for everyone, of course!

Can he get a costume together in time? Or will this seed return to his baaaaaaaaad ways?

Find out in this hilarious, charming, and thought-provoking continuation of Jory John and Pete Oswald’s bestselling series.

16. Paddington’s Trick or Treat

Author: Michael Bond
Illustrator: R. W. Alley

Celebrate the spooky season with everyone’s favourite bear, Paddington – now a major movie star!

Paddington Bear is getting ready for a Halloween party, strictly for family only. He can’t wait for the party to start – as soon as he gets home from trick or treating! But nothing goes quite to plan after Paddington’s mean neighbour, Mr Curry, invites himself to the party and spoils all the fun. Luckily, Paddington has a special Halloween trick that might just save the day!

A hilarious new Paddington adventure, full of spooky surprises!

17. Peter Rabbit Tales: Trick or Treat

Author: Beatrix Potter

Join Peter and his sisters, as they get their Halloween costumes ready to go trick-or-treating, in this brand new story!

Peter cannot wait to wear his radish costume and show all his friends when they go on their Halloween trail. But first, Peter must help his sisters decide what they will dress as – there’s so many choices!

However Peter soon worries that he’s running out of time to get his own costume ready…
Will he be able to join his sisters in all the Halloween fun and wear the best costume?

This heart-warming Halloween tale focuses on the importance of teamwork and helping the people around you.
This brand new story filled with charming illustrations of Beatrix Potter’s well-loved characters mirrors young reader’s early experiences.

18. Room on the Broom

Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: Axel Scheffler

How the cat purred and how the witch grinned,
As they sat on their broomstick and flew through the wind.

A very funny story of quick wits and friendship, Room on the Broom is another smash hit from the unparalleled picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo.

The witch and her cat fly happily over forests, rivers and mountains on their broomstick until a stormy wind blows away the witch’s hat, bow and wand. Luckily, they are retrieved by a dog, a bird and a frog, who are all keen for a ride on the broom. It’s a case of the more, the merrier, but the broomstick isn’t used to such a heavy load and it’s not long before . . . SNAP! It breaks in two! And with a greedy dragon looking for a snack, the witch’s animal pals better think fast!

This handy board book format is perfect for younger readers. It features the classic story with a stunning redesigned cover and beautiful finish, making it a must-have for even the smallest Donaldson and Scheffler fans!

19. Meg and Mog

Author: Helen Nicoll
Illustrator: Jan Pienkowski

Meet Meg the witch and Mog, her (very naughty) cat.

Meg and Mog are off to a Halloween party with all their friends. But, BANG! One of Meg’s spells hasn’t worked as planned! Can Meg and Mog fix it?

This is a special 50th anniversary edition of the original Meg and Mog book, which has been casting its spell over readers for generations. With Jan Pienkowski’s award-winning illustrations and Helen Nicoll’s easy-to-read text, the Meg and Mog books have earnt their place as timeless classics, beloved by all.

20. Funnybones

Authors/Illustrators: Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg

“This is how the story begins… On a dark dark hill there was a dark dark town. In the dark dark town there was a dark dark street.”

Discover the classic children’s story that has delighted generation after generation. A must read for halloween, discover the hillarious Funnybones stories. Packed with playful illustrations and easy to read text, discover this timeless bedtime story.

Halloween is more than just costumes and candy—it’s a time to ignite young imaginations with tales of mystery and adventure. These bone-chilling Halloween books for kids offer the perfect balance of thrills and fun, making them ideal for bedtime or weekend reading sessions. By sharing these stories, you’re not only entertaining your kids but also creating moments they’ll treasure.

If you’ve found a new favourite from this list, let me know in the comments!

Have more book suggestions? I’m always on the lookout for great recommendations too!

For even more Halloween fun, DIY crafts, and reading suggestions, follow me on Instagram @SaraMelides. And if you loved this post, don’t forget to pin it on Pinterest so you can revisit these book ideas for years to come!