What Wee Read: The Halloween Edition
Bring on the pumpkin patches, costume parades and sugar highs. We love this time of year. Our favorite way to get in the Halloween spirit is curling up with these not-too-spooky reads.
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown
Jasper Rabbit loves eating carrots. He can't get enough of them. Until one day, he sees carrots everywhere–and believes "creepy carrots" are following him. Is it his imagination? Is he just paranoid? Spoiler alert: Nope. The clever carrots are scheming to keep him away. Some kids might find evil stalking vegetables a little scary; ours find them silly and exciting.
Crankenstein by Samantha Berger and Dan Santat
Do you have a Crankenstein at your house? Some days, this otherwise sweet little guy (or girl) inexplicably wakes up as a big grumpy monster. In this book, long lines, a melting popsicle, early bedtime and a rainy day all bring out Crankenstein. Nothing helps, until he meets another even crankier Crankenstein, which somehow makes them both laugh and laugh. Our own little Crankenstein recognizes himself in the story (and he thinks it's hilarious.) And giggles always bring back our sweet little guy.
The Dark by Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen
If the season of witches, ghosts and goblins has your kids scared of the dark, try this beautifully-illustrated book. Laszlo is afraid of the dark. The dark is not afraid of Laszlo. Laszlo lives in a house. The dark lives in the basement. One night, the dark comes upstairs to Laszlo's room, and asks Laszlo to follow it down to the basement–where Laszlo has never gone. Turns out, the dark isn't as scary as Laszlo thought. In typical Lemony Snicket fashion, a dark tale turns out to be a beautiful lesson.
Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara
We're drawn to the charming linocut illustrations in this little board book. When a girl moves into a wonderful house at the edge of town, she realizes it's haunted. Which is okay, because she's a witch, and she knows just what to do. It's a sweet story that feels a little old-fashioned, yet completely relevant.
Polka-Bats and Octopus Slacks by Calef Brown
These 14 short, rhyming stories are silly, funky and brilliant–reminiscent of Shel Silverstein's poetry. Fitting for Halloween: "Late October showers bring delicate skeleton flowers. A ghostly sight on Halloween night, they softly glow for hours."