The Best Halloween Picture Books of 2023
Another year, another list of spooky Halloween picture books for kids! You know this is my favorite list of the year - more than my Christmas list and even my best of the year list. Halloween and the spooky season are just the cream of the crop for me. So I can’t wait to show off my favorites of the year.
My rules for this list are all over the place honestly. The books don’t have to be about Halloween necessarily, and they don’t have to be scary. Lots of publishers shy away from scaring kids anyway. BUT references to Halloween and actual spookiness will get you major extra credit in my book.
But every year around July/August, publishers start releasing their books for “Halloween.” Books that have monsters, books that are scary, or becomes about facing fears. In one way or another, it’s clear that they belong to the spooky season. So whether or not they feature jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating, they qualify for this list if it just feels right.
For my part, I do wish that publishers would take more chances on books that are legitimately scary, or on original stories with original characters that are unabashedly about Halloween. And if you’re a kindred spooky spirit, make very sure to support the work of artists who slip through the cracks in the editing offices somehow and are permitted to be weird and quirky and (could it be?) spooky.
But I’m not one to turn up my nose to anything that celebrates my favorite time of year in other ways. The books that made our spooky top 13 this year run the gamut from creepy and creative to baby’s first Halloween book, and they all make me happy. It’s that time of year folks, and I wish you a very spooky October.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links that will lead you to view the books on Bookshop.org and Amazon. On Bookshop.org, your purchase can directly support a chosen independent bookstore like ours with more than 30% of the cost.
13. Suppose You Met a Witch
Written by Ian Serraillier and Illustrated by Ed Emberley
So this book comes with a bit of an asterisk, because it was originally written in 1952, and originally published with Ed Emberley’s art in 1973 I believe. But it was reprinted this year just in time for Halloween, and I’ve never seen it before, so I’m putting it on the list! Just trust me - if this was a newly published book, it would be MUCH higher on this list. It’s spooky, it’s psychedelic, and it’s a fantastic example of what you used to be able to get away with in children’s literature.
Suppose You Met a Witch is scary - and it’s from a combination of the grotesque art as well as the scary story about a battle between two children and a witch that wants to gobble them up. It’s a wonderfully original story that I’ve never heard before - with the kids using her magic wand against the witch in very creative ways.
Honestly I’d classify this as the type of book you need to snatch up for your library while you can if you’re interested in scary children’s stories. And I’ve already heard of adults just buying it for themselves because it’s just so awesome.
12. Roald Dahl Trick or Treat
Written by the Roald Dahl Story Co. and Illustrated by Quentin Blake
I think I preordered this book almost a full year before it released, and that may have been because it was delayed for some reason or another. The publishing date on the book says 2022 but it definitely came out this year. It’s the first board book I saw in this wonderful new series that the Roald Dahl Story Co. is putting out recently. But quite honestly you could just as easily call it the Quentin Blake series as far as I’m concerned, because it’s obvious that Blake’s art is the highlight in these books for little ones.
Quentin Blake has been illustrating Roald Dahl’s wonderful stories for a long time, and I’m delighted to see that continue with this collection of cute board books - particularly this new lift-the-flap Halloween book. Basically it has you exploring a haunted house and peeking behind objects to see what’s there, but it’s absolutely Blake’s art that makes it stand out. His style is synonymous with Dahl at this time for many, and it makes it easy to recommend this for a toddler’s Halloween gift.
11. Skeletown: Sí. ¡No!
Written and Illustrated by Rhode Montijo
Rhode Montijo is the creator of one of my all-time favorite Halloween picture books - The Halloween Kid - so I was over the moon to see that he was publishing a spookyish picture book again. The book isn’t the least bit scary, and it doesn’t make reference to Halloween. In fact, it only includes two words - sí and no. But the fact that they live in a skeleton town (coupled with Montijo’s Halloween credentials) is good enough for me.
Skeletown: Sí. ¡No! is the first book in a series set in Skeletown - a world inspired by the Day of the Dead. I love the characters and I can’t wait to see what Montijo has planned for it. This one functions almost like a wordless picture book, because the illustrations carry a lot of the weight for the meaning and humor. That makes it a fun and interactive read aloud for young ones, and combing over the art for meaning is a pleasure because I’ve always been a fan of his style.
I love these spooky characters, and love imagining the potential of this world. The two-page spread with the front endpaper shows off Skeletown in all its glory and that’s where I see a lot of potential with the universe. With just the words yes and no, we don’t get to know about the characters very much - but maybe that will change in the future.
10. Disney Baby: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Written by Nancy Parent and Illustrated by Jerrod Maruyama
Every year it’s a pretty safe bet that big companies like Disney will pump out some new holiday books. The question is how much effort will be put into them. It’s clear that publishing companies, for whatever reason, prefer to do holiday spin-offs of known properties as opposed to rolling the dice on original stories. So every year I always give extra bonus points to original stories. But with all that being said, I can’t resist a Mickey and Friends rendition of Sleepy Hollow. I’m not a monster.
There are tons of strange choices in this book. For some reason they titled every single page like it’s a new chapter, and every once in a while it veers wildly off course - like the pages dedicated to the colors of fall, or when Ichabod stops to count pumpkins while he’s riding home scared. And each page includes a question to ask your little ones which are incredibly off-topic. But, once again, did I mention it’s Disney characters doing The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?
By no means is it a perfect adaptation, but the art is very cute, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one of my very favorite stories of all time. I couldn’t ignore this cute little book despite the flaws. Someone needs to just take the art and rewrite the whole thing - sticking closer to the spooky story while using less words per page. By the way, did I mention you get to see Goofy as Ichabod Crane?
9. Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Boo!
Written by Wade Bradford and Illustrated by Tom Brannon
One thing I’ve been enjoying the last couple of years is what the Dr. Seuss company is up to with writing new holiday books. There was a fantastic new Cat in the Hat Christmas book last year, and this year we get a brand new spooky Horton book. I love it, and I love that they are so professionally done - it feels like they could be original Dr. Seuss classics.
The rhymes flow smoothly and it’s a joy to read - as it should be with any good Dr. Seuss book. And there are moments of that perfect amount of spooky to get the imagination flowing. Horton hears a mysterious boo, and the characters of the story imagine the possibilities - gradually scaring themselves more and more with their imaginations.
I won’t give away the ending for you, but I think parents that grew up with Dr. Seuss and their kids are going to enjoy this new Halloween tale quite a bit.
8. It’s Fall!
Written and Illustrated by Renée Kurilla
Kurilla’s art is fantastic and a perfect fit for celebrating fall. This is a Halloween-adjacent book, because it’s not very scary, and it’s not only about Halloween. But it involves one of my very favorite types of art in all of kids literature - a full page interpretation of kids trick-or-treating down the street. The only thing better than that, of course, is a two-page spread of trick-or-treating. And this trick-or-treat image is a very good one - with beautiful shadows and a perfectly-captured ambiance.
But that’s not all of course. There are other Halloween-adjacent things going on as well. There are pumpkins and scarecrows and corn mazes as well - and I think that’s all essential Halloween atmosphere stuff. I adore books that capture the feeling around Halloween, and this might very well be the best example of 2023.
This book is the first in a series about the seasons, and I certainly hope a future book about winter captures the winter holidays in a similar way!
7. First Night of Howlergarten
Written and Illustrated by Benson Shum
This is a story about werewolves, but ultimately it’s a very original spin on first day of school jitters - and classic concerns about self-confidence. You might already have dozens of social emotional picture books that deal with similar topics of confidence and empathy - but I guarantee you don’t have one about werewolves!
Kids will enjoy seeing what young werewolves study at school, and they’ll empathize with being scared of leaving home or trying new things or not being good enough. For those reasons Howlergarten could very well be used as a first day of school book months before Halloween season, but it’s still monsters season that it will shine the most. And I particularly like the twist/empathy-filled ending because I’m a sucker for lessons on kindness.
6. Every Night at Midnight
Written and Illustrated by Peter Cheong
Coming in at number 6 is another werewolf book - or maybe not exactly. Felix doesn’t exactly follow werewolf rules, because he turns into a wolf every single night at midnight. It’s a very beautiful adventure book with fantastic art. And it really has beautiful commentary on making friends and finding your pack in life.
There are lots of wonderful little details in the illustrations that add to the story and either add foreshadowing or meaning - and my daughter really loved digging into those details with me. She really loved discovering the secret clues in the art and figuring out who was turning into what animals. I really think kids will be enjoying this one a lot.
This is Peter Cheong’s first book as an author-illustrator, and I’ll be keeping an eye on what he gets up to next, because I think this is a fantastic creation.
5. Hazel and the Spooky Season
Written by Kyle Sullivan and Illustrated by Jess Mason
Kyle Sullivan and Hazy Dell Press are always putting out wonderful, monster-loving books for kids - and Hazel and the Spooky Season is basically the only book on this list that is unabashedly celebrating Halloween and only Halloween. In my book that gives it a ton of extra credit points, and that’s one of the reasons it’s so high on my list this year.
I suppose what we have here is a fictional history of the beginning of Halloween, because the main character has never heard of Halloween before a pumpkin-headed creature comes out of the graveyard and explains it to her. It’s really fantastic stuff - perfect for the spooky season. And I can empathize with Hazel wanting more people to share her love of spooky things with. It feels like being a dad who wants more publishers to publish scary books for kids.
I absolutely love the illustrations from Jess Mason. The detail is magnificent - both the town and the spooky creatures truly come to life. And I like the story and the celebration of Halloween of course - but I’m on the fence about the rhyming text. I can’t make up my mind one way or the other, but I think I would enjoy it even more in prose. The story and the art is powerful and original enough to be quite memorable, and I can’t help but feel the rhyming is occasionally distracting. But it doesn’t change the fact that this one is special.
4. Melvina Whitmoore (More or Less a Horror Story)
Written and Illustrated by Faith Capalia
A picture book with the word horror in the title? Count me in - no questions asked! In her author’s bio, Faith Capalia is described as a friend to all ghosts, ghouls and creepy-crawlies - and a spooky story aficionado! Now that’s my kind of artist! With taste like that, consider me a fan, and rest-assured I’ll be keeping a close eye on her career in kid lit!
All of the books in the top 4 this year are impeccably crafted, and Melvina Whitmoore is no exception. This is an extremely good-looking picture book. Capalia’s art style is special and memorable - and I don’t know who is in charge of design and structure and font and all of that, but it’s expertly crafted from top to bottom. I love the way the book makes you turn it to the side halfway through the book. It’s all very unique and makes for a book that won’t be soon forgotten.
I have to credit Capalia with fantastic creature design as well. A good haunted house or scared of the dark story is nothing without good creature design, and Capalia does not disappoint. The slime monster is a highlight for me, but these are all wonderful and imaginative creations in this book.
3. I Will Read to You
Written by Gideon Sterer and Illustrated by Charles Santoso
I Will Read to You is a rhyming book, which, as we know, can be very hit or miss. But Gideon Sterer’s verse is top notch and flows exceptionally well. It adds something to this beautiful bedtime book, and rolls onward at a very soothing and beautiful pace - perfect for a little one falling asleep on an October night.
It’s also a very sweet story, because it features a young boy who is worried that nobody is taking care of all the monsters of the world the way that his mother is taking care of him. His mother comes to tuck him in and read him a story, and all he can worry about is who will do such a thing for the beasts of the world?
So his very understanding and accommodating mother follows him outside into the woods on his mission to read to monsters. Then they come. Vampires, dragons, skeletons, ghosts, witches - they all come one by one. And each group has their own amazing two-page spread. It’s an incredibly special book that some might even put all the way to number one this year. This one has real staying power - original and imaginative and so well executed.
2. Vlad the Fabulous Vampire
Written and Illustrated by Flavia Z. Drago
Flavia Z. Drago is one of my very favorite picture book creators, and a fellow lover of spooky stories for kids. Her books in the world of Gustavo the Ghost (now a trilogy since the 3rd book Vlad the Fabulous Vampire has released) has been entertaining us for years now. And her quirky cast of Halloween characters are second to none. It’s a joy to see that world keep growing.
Even though they’re classic monsters (like ghosts, witches and vampires), the characters are not the least bit scary. In fact, they always have familiar human emotions to deal with. For his part, Vlad is scared to be himself because he has a preconception of what people expect from him as a vampire. And by the end he does figure out how to be true to himself.
The atmosphere and the settings are top notch Halloween-fare. The attention to detail is incredible and every time we read the books we see something cute and creative we hadn’t noticed before in the background. And Candlewick always pulls out all the stops for her books - with great secret covers and endpapers. Drago’s books have basically become a Halloween tradition at this point. And I hope we’re all lucky enough for her to keep entertaining us and scaring us for many years to come.
1. Bruce and the Legend of Soggy Hollow
Written and Illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins
It was an extremely tight race this year, but I mentioned before that The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one of my favorite stories ever told. So the new Bruce book - Bruce and the Legend of Soggy Hollow - has a pretty special place in my heart already. It also doesn’t hurt that my daughter has been learning to read with a Bruce book recently too, so we’re big fans of the grumpy bear.
As a lifelong fan of Eeyore, there’s just something special about the adorable, perpetual curmudgeon Bruce. He’s always good for a laugh, and you can absolutely count on the very high-quality of Ryan T. Higgins’ books. It’s the type of art that looks like it could be transferred straight into a cartoon, and the humor is exquisite.
It’s hilarious watching the other forest creatures force Bruce to take part in a play - essentially The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. There are also wonderful Halloween feels being given out by the scenery in the story - and you’ll find the perfect twinge of spookiness as well. Bruce actually unwittingly has a run-in with the real “Horseless Horseman”, and it’s one of those “the reader realizes what’s going on but the characters don’t” situations.
This is simply a fantastic Halloween book for kids. It’s 100% obvious it’s going to be beloved for years and be a Halloween staple for many families.
Happy Halloween, everyone! Did you enjoy this list? Make sure to check out our past spooky lists as well:
The Best Halloween Picture Books of 2022
The Best Halloween Picture Books of 2021
The Best Halloween Picture Books of 2020
The Best Halloween Picture Books of 2019
The Best Halloween Picture Books for Kids
And, if your kids really liked to scary stories, check out:
The Best Scary Picture Books for Kids
The Best Scary Stories for Kids
What spooky books are you most excited about? Have you read any of these yet? Let us know in the comments!
