Halloween is so much fun! And so is reading! What better way to introduce new vocabulary and concepts than with Halloween themed books?

The books in this post are huge hits with my elementary aged students (preschool through around 3rd grade, ideally), but my older students have always enjoyed practicing good speech and language skills when reading aloud to younger kids. Add these titles to your library check out list, or click on the cover images of the stories to add them to your Amazon cart via an Associate link.

A Halloween version of the classic song. Great for comparing and contrasting! How is the Halloween bus like the original bus? How is it different?

Lift the flaps to find the see who is who in the adorable story. Help your child listen for the words that rhyme.

This one is great for action verbs. Everyone is doing something to prepare for Halloween. Can your child label the actions?

My personal, ALL TIME favorite Halloween story EVER!! The witch wants to make pumpkin pie, but the pumpkin is so large, she needs help to get it off the vine. An all-star cast of Halloween characters show up to help, but who is able to detach that Big Pumpkin in the end? You’ll have to read to find out! Or you can listen to the cute recording HERE.

This one is perfect for a sequencing activity. What happens first? Who does the witch encounter next? I also enjoy using this one to teach teamwork. The characters have to work together in the end to defeat a scary monster. A great story with a super fun video adaptation.

I don’t know where I discovered this book, but it’s the perfect transition from October’s festivities into November’s celebrations. The ugly pumpkin only wanted to be picked for Halloween, but he is teased, tricked and bullied instead. Will he find a place to belong and something for which to be thankful? This book has great themes for kindness, acceptance and perseverance…all lessons one is never to young (or too old) to learn.