Holidays

Boo-tiful Books 2023

It’s that time of year again!

Halloween is upon us, and many of us have special trick-or-treaters visiting! If you’re looking for a treat that isn’t candy related, look no further – because books are our friends!

This year we have a variety of spooky books for littles to tweens! To check out last year’s picks, click here!

Let’s jump in!

Clifford’s Halloween
Written by Norman Bridwell

This Halloween classic just radiates nostalgia! Clifford the Big Red Dog needs help choosing a costume for Halloween, with his best friend, Emily Elizabeth! I love this book because it is only two colours, and it reminds me of library time in elementary school. This book is a vintage reissue of the 1966 classic.

Reading Age: 3-5 years

Creepy Crayon
Written by Aaron Reynolds + illustrated by Peter Brown

Oh my God. This book makes me laugh out loud! In this fantastic adventure, we’re back with Jasper the Rabbit who finds a mysterious purple crayon! Jasper is struggling in school; he is failing math tests and bombing spelling quizzes, but suddenly he realizes he has an asset – the crayon! Suddenly he is doing well with all of his schoolwork with the help of the crayon… but is it too good to be true?

Reading Age: 4-8 years

Ghost Afraid of the Dark
Written by Sara Conway

This sweet book follows little Boo, a ghost who seems to be afraid of everything! As he makes his way through Halloween with his monster friends, he learns to be brave and discover that the dark isn’t so scary. I love that this book has glow in the dark elements, and it also rhymes! This book is available this year as a board book for smaller tots!

Reading Age: 2-4 years

The Witch’s Cat and The Cooking Catastrophe
Written by Kirstie Watson + illustrated by Magdalena Sawko

This adorable book brings you on the adventure of the Witch’s cat, a cute little orange fur-ball who takes it upon himself to make his owner a delicious meal! However, the cookbook he finds may not exactly be a cookbook and a bit of a magical kerfuffle takes place.

Reading Age: 4-7 years

The Scariest Book Ever!
Written + Illustrated by Bob Shea

In this beautifully illustrated book (seriously, the colours and the images are amazing), the sarcastic and humorous tone will make you actually enjoy reading this book aloud to your littles. Kick back and enjoy lines like: “We’ll tell spooky stories and clean the bathroom” as your ghosty narrator brings you along in his ‘birthday suit”.

Reading Age: 4-8 years

Vampenguin
Written + Illustrated Lucy Ruth Cummins

I laughed and laughed reading this book. Think of the Parent Trap, but replace Hayley Mills and Hayley Mills with Baby Dracula and Baby Penguin. The Dracula family is off to the zoo to check out all of the animals, specifically the penguin exhibit. Blissfully unaware, the Dracula family has no idea that during their outing, Baby Dracula has been replaced with Baby Penguin who has been sitting in the stroller, admiring the animals. From the author who gave us Stumpkin last year, you will have a good chuckle with this one!

Reading Age: 4-8 years

The Little Ghost who was a Quilt
Written by Riel Nason + Illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler

In this book about being different, our protagonist is a little ghost who is not a sheet, and is actually a quilt. Despite his family telling him that it is okay to be a quilt (both of them are sheets), he cannot help but feel different and really hot (especially when he flies). This charming and Canadian book is imaginative and heartfelt. No spoilers here, but our little ghost friend learns that he has some advantages in being different!

Reading Age: 3-7 years

The Graveyard Book
Written by Neil Gaiman

Although I haven’t read this one, who doesn’t love Neil Gaiman?! I had no idea he had books for tweens, which was a nice find! This is a Newbery Medal-winning novel, so it must be good, right!? From the description: Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place—he’s the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians’ time as well as their ghostly teachings—such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him. Sounds thrilling to me!

Reading Age: 10 years +