18 Halloween & Fall Picture Books from 2015-2021 Categorized by Year Published
Welcome to my kidlit corner! Here are 18 picture books and board books about Halloween or fall that I read to my kids this year. They’re listed below from newest to oldest. That way, you can find the most recent releases, study the trends, and/or see what publishers have been acquiring the past few years.
Hope you enjoy!
Halloween Picture Books Published in 2021
The Ghosts Go Marching by Claudia H. Boldt (published 8/4/2021)
This is a fun Halloween version of "The Ants Go Marching." I sang the story as I read it to my kids, and they loved it! Check out what @kidlitbrain has to say about singing stories to kids. Scroll down on her Instagram page to the post that says, “ARE THERE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO SINGING PICTURE BOOKS INSTEAD OF READING THEM?” if you're interested in reading about the benefits.
Halloween & Fall Picture Books Published in 2020
It’s a Pumpkin by Wendy McClure (published 9/1/2020)
When a pumpkin falls out of the back of a truck into the middle of the road, a few forest animals are confused about what it is. One animal thinks it’s a chair. One thinks it’s a table. One proves that it’s a doorstop. And all this curiosity and wonder actually brings the animals together for a fun celebration where they finally use the pumpkin correctly; however, the animals still aren’t sure what it is! It is a super cute story, and it’ll get your kids excited to get their own pumpkins.
We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt by Mary Wilcox (published 8/4/2020)
These animal friends go searching for the biggest pumpkin, but it gets a little scary in the pumpkin patch! Luckily, the friends make it home safely and enjoy a festive fall treat. I loved the refrain throughout the book “We’re going on a pumpkin hunt.” It made for nice repetition with my kids. They asked to read this book again and again, but I think that’s also because they like to get scared sometimes. Haha! And this book has a little spookiness in the climax.
How to Build a Haunted House by Frank Tupta (published 7/21/2020)
Here's a fun construction book for Halloween time. 👷♂️👷♀️🏗🎃 The crew must build a haunted house before sunrise! This is a rhyming book with fun illustrations that my kids enjoyed. They're always looking for more construction books, so this was perfect and unique for the Halloween season. 🙂
The Ghosts Went Floating by Kim Norman (published 7/14/2020)
This is another great book to sing-read to your kids. Again, it’s to the tune of “The Ants Go Marching.” But this one says “Boo-rah!” instead of “Hurrah!” My son enjoyed that tiny tweak in the lyrics. I also enjoyed the small changes the author made each time the page turned and it was a new character. She changed the verb to match that character, which made it even more fun for the Halloween season.
A Unicorn Named Sparkle and the Pumpkin Monster by Amy Young (published 7/14/2020)
In this story, Sparkle the unicorn gets spooked when Lucy accidentally scares him. Lucy must find Sparkle and convince him that it was just her, not a spooky pumpkin monster. My kids absolutely loved the part when Sparkle let out a rainbow toot. 🌈 Haha! They're boys, what can I say?
The Berenstain Bears: Halloween Is Sweet (published 7/14/2020)
Brother and Sister are excited for the Halloween candy, but Sister is a little worried. She thinks Halloween is scary! While trick-or-treating, Brother and Sister get spooked, but everything turns out to be fine when they realize things aren’t always as they look.
Halloween & Fall Picture Books Published in 2019
Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party by Erin Barker (published 9/3/2019)
This was one of my favorites because there were so many layers to it! It’s not only a rhyming book, but it’s a counting book, and it features tons of tasty treats, which is always a plus in my book!
The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry (published 9/3/2019)
This is the perfect fall story if you're looking for a sweet friendship between two unlikely characters. I love the irony even in the cover photo. You can see Scarecrow with a baby crow, and it's just the most heartwarming story that unfolds. ❤ Scarecrow is supposed to scare the animals away. This leads to him being lonely. But one day, a baby crow falls from the sky. The two begin a sweet friendship that lasts through all the seasons until baby crow isn't a baby anymore and is ready to leave home. What happens to a friendship when one friend stays planted and the other enters a new season of life? (Great discussion question to ask & talk about with your kids). This book is filled with layers. ➡️ It's a rhyming text, which helps little ones easily build their vocabulary. ➡️ It introduces the seasons. ➡️ It's got a great lesson on compassion and helping others. ➡️ It illustrates how friendships evolve. I adore this story by Beth Ferry. And if you like her, too, she's got so many other great picture books for you to check out. 📚
Tractor Mac: Autumn Is Here by Billy Steers (published 8/20/2019)
For any children who don’t like change, this is a great book for them. They’ll relate to Fergus the calf who doesn’t want the season to change to fall. But he soon learns that every season has good things, too.
If You’re Scary and You Know It by Carole Gerber and Noel Ill (published 8/1/2019)
My youngest son loves the song “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” so this book was perfect for him. I sang-read the words while also doing the motions/actions in this book, and my kids did the actions along with me. So, this was a great interactive read aloud/sing aloud.
Halloween Picture Books Published in 2018
Sir Simon: Super Scarer by Cale Atkinson (published 9/4/2018)
If you're looking for a humorous Halloween picture book, this is it! I was chuckling on every page. 😅 Sir Simon is a ghost who takes his job of scaring people seriously. But it's a lot of work! It's not easy doing his ghostly chores (making scary sounds like: flushing toilets, footsteps in the attic, etc.). He's exhausted and looking forward to having a grandparent move in because they sleep a lot, and that means he doesn't have to entertain them with his daily chores of haunting. But Sir Simon is surprised when it's not just Grandma moving in, but a kid! Now, Simon tries to enlist the kid into doing his spooky chores for him! The voice and humor in this book were great! I loved how it made spookiness a joke and kept things lighthearted. I definitely recommend checking out this book if you want a good laugh 😅🤣
Skelly’s Halloween by David Martin (published 8/7/2018)
This adorable picture book alludes to Humpty Dumpty. Poor Skelly falls apart on Halloween and needs to be put back together again. He enlists the help of a few animals, but they end up making him into the wrong skeleton shapes! Luckily, Skelly finds some helpers who find a way for him to go trick-or-treating on Halloween.
Peppa Pig and the Halloween Costume (published 7/10/2018)
Peppa Pig wants to dress up for Halloween, but every costume idea is already taken! Finally, she finds the perfect costume and jazzes it up with her own piggy flare!
Halloween & Fall Picture Books Published in 2017
Hedgehugs: Autumn Hide-and-Squeak by Steve Wilson and Lucy Tapper (published 9/12/2017)
Hattie and Horace are hedgehogs and best friends. When the leaves start falling, the two of them hear a squeak and find a new friend! The three of them have fun playing hide-and-seek. This is a lighthearted story with little conflict. It’s perfect if you want to share a sweet story of friendship with your little ones.
Monster Trucks by Joy Keller (published 8/29/2017)
A truck book + Halloween = a book about monsters and the kinds of trucks they drive. Here are some clues about some of the characters and their specific trucks: 🧙♀️ Witch loves flying on a broom, so she drives a truck that can sweep. 🐺 Werewolf loves to dig for bones, so he drives a truck that helps him scoop dirt. 👹 Ogre gets mad easily, so he drives a truck that lets him get his anger out. 😤 Any guesses on which trucks these characters drive? This is a rhyming text, which my kids love. They can't resist all the cool trucks featured, and they love a little bit of spookiness. The book ends with a calming component, depicting the monsters asleep in their beds, so it's also a great bedtime story that will encourage your kids to go to sleep, too. If you've got truck lovers in your house, I recommend this book, especially around Halloween time. 🎃 It's fun and festive.
Grimelda and the Spooktacular Pet Show by Diana Murray (published 7/25/2017)
Diana Murray is one of my favorite children’s book authors, and this book was so fun with its bouncy rhyme and adorable illustrations. Grimelda wants her pet cat, Whizzlewarts, to win the Spooktacular pet show, but he’s not spooky at all. He sleeps! Grimelda sets out to find a new pet, but with no luck, so she’s stuck trying to find a way to get Whizzlewarts to win the show. But Grimelda soon finds out that Whizzlewarts is spooky indeed!
Halloween Picture Books Published in 2016
Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle (published 7/5/2016)
This is one of my favorite Halloween books. It's so lighthearted and mainly focuses on the different costumes that the animals dress up in. It's a lift-the-flap book, which my kids love (and fight over who gets to lift the flap haha! 😅) I just adore this book and the whole series. The ending is my favorite! It's also a rhyming text, which is fun to read aloud and great for kids to learn similar-sounding words. Check it out if you're looking for a sweet and charming Halloween read aloud.
Halloween Picture Books Published in 2015
It’s Raining Bats and Frogs by Rebecca Colby (published 8/11/2015)
Another festive Halloween story! 🎃🦇🐸 This one is fun and has an educational component. As you can see by the funny title, it introduces the idiom "It's raining cats and dogs." I enjoyed teaching my boys the meaning of this phrase, and they got a good laugh seeing the pictures of all the different things that rained down from the sky.I always love when books combine humor and learning. 😊
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