BOO TO YOU!

 

Halloween is both a fun and a scary time for young children.  Walt Disney World knows how to capture the fun with just a tinge of the scary to give children a great experience at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.  Children and parents can safely dress up, trick or treat, visit attractions, dance with favorite villains, watch HalloWishes and watch a great parade with a Headless Horseman.  Oh, to be in Walt Disney World this month.

For those of us who are a little too far away to make the trip, there are many great Halloween and “scary” books to entertain the children this month.  I have a few that are my absolute favorites for this month.

The Witch Who Wasn’t by Jane Yolen is the one that I never missed reading to my classes at the Halloween party each year.  It is a story about a little witch who wasn’t ugly, wasn’t scary and couldn’t even think up a scary spell.  She felt that she was disappointing her mother and grandmother and all of the other witches.  But, something happened to help her understand that her being different was special, too.  You may have to search the libraries or the used book sites, but this book is a great Halloween one with a good lesson, too.  Another favorite of the kids was Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.  Children enjoy this series and the Halloween story has all of the familiar characters, like Fang, Rosamond and Little Hex, with some of them going missing.

Do you have a little one who is afraid of all of the Halloween happenings?  Scary, Scary, Halloween by Eve Bunting  and illustrated by Jan Brett is perfect.  A family of scared kittens experiences what it’s like to see scary trick or treaters.  And the illustrations by Jan Brett are lovely.  Speaking of being scared, this is a perfect time of the year for Stellaluna by Janell Cannon and Owl Babies by Martin Waddell.  I guarantee you’re your little ones will be remembering Stellaluna and the baby owls for a long time.  Scared of spiders?  Raffi’s Spider on the Floor would be fun to read and sing together.  Finally, The Bookstore Ghost by Barbara Maitland would make a nice read aloud this month.  Mr. Brown tries to sell ghost books, but the mice are up to mischief until the cat takes over. 

After the kids are in bed, there are plenty of scary books for the adults to read, if the tired adults aren’t too exhausted to read!  Have you read The Kingdom Keepers Series by Ridley Pearson?  If you haven’t, get them now.  You will never look at a visit to Walt Disney World the same again.  And you might have a few nightmares, too!

 

So, as we near October 31, pick up some Halloween books for you and your children.  You might even find a classic Disney DVD with The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad to introduce your children to the Headless Horseman.  Turn down the lights, snuggle together and have a scary time!

Boo to You!

Halloween Books

Babar and the Ghost by Laurent de Brunhoff

Batbaby Finds a Home by Robert Quackenbush
Bats Around the Clock by Kathy Appelt
Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll
The Blue-Nosed Witch by Margaret Embry
*The Bookstore Ghost by Barbara Maitland
Cinderella Skeleton by Robert San Souci
Five Little Bats Flying in the Night by Steve Metzger
Franklin’s Halloween by Paulette Bourgeois
Georgie and the Robbers by Robert Bright
Georgie’s Halloween by Robert Bright
Gus and the Baby Ghost by Jane Thayer
Gus Was a Friendly Ghost by Jane Thayer
The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow
How Spider Saved Halloween by Robert Kraus
Junie B., First Grader BOO and I Mean It! by Barbara Park
Little Witch’s Big Night
Louanne Pig in Witch Lady by Nancy Carlson
The Magic Schoolbus in the Haunted Museum (Sound) by Joanna Cole
My First Halloween by Tomie de Paola
*Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
The Night Before Halloween by Natasha Wing
*Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
*Scary, Scary, Halloween by Eve Bunting  Illustrated by Jan Brett
Shake Dem Halloween Bones by W. Nicola-Lisa
Skeleton Hiccups by Marjorie Cuyler
*Spider on the Floor by Raffi
The Spookiest Halloween Ever by Teddy Slater
The Spooky Halloween Party by Annabelle Prager  Illustrated by Tomie de Paola
Spooky Hayride by Brian James
*Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
The Witch Who Was Afraid of Witches by Alice Low
*The Witch Who Wasn’t by Jane Yolen
The Witch’s Vacation by Norman Bridwell
Tilly Witch by Don Freeman

Familiar Characters at Halloween

Angelina’s Halloween by Katherine Holabird

Arthur’s Halloween by Marc Brown
The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin
Clifford’s Halloween by Norman Bridwell
Corduroy’s Best Halloween Ever by Don Freeman
Dragon’s Halloween by Dave Pilkey
Froggy’s Halloween by Jonathan London
Happy Halloween, Mittens by Lola M. Schaefer
Mickey’s Halloween Treat by Thea Feldman

Scary Creatures

Creepy, Crawly Baby Bugs by Sandra Markle

Fantastic Bats by Justin Mc Cory Martin
Super Spiders by Jason Blake
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Zoe’s Webs by Thomas West