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October is one of my favorite months as the weather cools down and the trees are lovely shades of red, yellow, and orange. There are many wonderful things to enjoy in October and it was my goal to incorporate them into our reading rotation for this month. I had to include the Anne of Green Gables picture book because of her famous quote, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
I also included a few unconventional titles like Fairy Floss because I loved the movie Meet Me in St. Louis as a teenager. I also included Something Scary Happened because while we enjoy participating in Halloween, my kids can easily be scared by Halloween decor. I also included the classic, The Monster At the End of This Book because it’s hilarious and quite a suspenseful read.
I discovered The Candy Dish in preparing this book list and fell in love with it, and since candy is common this month, it just makes sense. The list concludes with Where the Wild Things Are because Halloween is about scary things and the wild things in the book seem to fit well in that category. Click the button below to download a printable list of these titles to bring along on your next library visit!
I know there are varying convictions about Halloween. If you’d like to learn about ours, you may find the following posts helpful:
Why ‘Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?’ Isn’t the Best Question
1. Anne of Green Gables
This is a condensed picture book version of the chapter book. The illustrations are lovely and it is a great way to introduce Anne to little readers.
2. Are You Eating Candy Without Me?
This sweet story is about children who wonder what their caregivers do all day but are especially curious about whether or not they are eating candy without them. This is a perfect October read since many parents do consume their children’s Halloween candy.
3. County Fair
This book is about Almanzo and his family and how they prepare for the county fair where Almanzo has entered a pumpkin he grew into a contest.
4. Corduroy’s Best Halloween Ever
In this sweet story, Corduroy gives up his costume to a friend in need and ends up getting creative to create a replacement costume.
5. Curious George Goes to A Costume Party
This story finds George and his friend the man with the yellow hat, attending a costume party. They didn’t know what kind of party it is until they arrive so George scrambles to find a costume. In this process, he gets a little to curious which leads to some silly things happening.
6. Fairy Floss: The Sweet Story of Cotton Candy
My love for the old musical Meet Me in St. Louis compelled me to purchase this title! This book is about the invention of cotton candy and how it was sold at the 1904 World’s Fair. My girls recently tried cotton candy for the first time so this was a must read for us.
7. Happy Haunting, Amelia Bedelia
In this book, Amelia Bedelia helps Mr. and Mrs. Rogers prepare for a Halloween party and ends up pulling a trick of her own at the end of the night.
8. I Spy: Spooky Night
I loved the I Spy books as a kid and my five year old is very into them. This one features spooky scenes with hidden objects for kids to find.
9. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
This is a picture book adaptation of the classic cartoon. My family watched this almost every year as I was growing up and now I enjoy watching it with my kids and reading this book to them.
10. It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse
This book is about the mouse from If You Give A Mouse A Cookie painting different faces on pumpkins.
11. It’s Pumpkin Time
In this book, children grow pumpkins and readers learn about the lifecycle of pumpkins.
12. Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise
My girls LOVE the Mercy Watson books so I had to include this one in our October book basket. This story finds Mercy trick or treating as a princess with some hilarious antic occurring along the way. We own this series as physical books and enjoy listening to them on our Yoto Mini, too!
13. Pick A Pumpkin
Told in rhyme, this fun book is about the process of picking out a pumpkin and carving it into a jack-o-lanter.
14. Pumpkin Cat
This older book is about a cat and mouse who work together to grow a pumpkin.
15. Pumpkin, Pumpkin
This book seems to make it on every October reading list I come across and rightly so. The illustrations are simple and lovely and this book gives a very basic overview of the lifecycle of a pumpkin.
16. Something Scary Happened
This book is a biblical counseling resource to help children process trauma after scary events. I bought it to encourage my girls and help them process through various things they are afraid of. It reminds children that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is always with us even when we are afraid, and we can trust Him. I know this time of year, scary decorations are often on display so this may be a useful tool for helping children process fearful responses.
17. Spiders
I HATE spiders but I love these educational books by Gail Gibbons. This one teaches children about the lifecycle of spiders and all kinds of facts about them.
18. The Berenstain Bears’ Big Halloween Party
In this story, the Berenstain Bears enjoy a town Halloween party and then trick or treat to end the night. This one is pretty silly and we enjoyed reading it for free on Hoopla.
19. The Berenstain Bears Harvest Festival
In this newer Berenstain Bears story, the Berenstain Bears work with their church family to pick apples and pumpkins at a church harvest festival and learn to give thanks to God for His blessings along the way.
20. The Candy Dish
I discovered this title while compiling my October book list and had to purchase it. I love the cover and illustrations and the story is beautiful. I don’t know what the author’s religious beliefs are but the message very much aligns with biblical principles which excites me. This story is about a girl who comes across a magical candy dish. Upon eating the singular piece of candy inside, she has an exceptionally wonderful day.
She attempts to open the dish for more candy and isn’t able to which leads to her being ungrateful for the joy she experienced upon eating the candy. Over time, the girl receives a new piece of candy daily and learns to cherish each candy.
The book concludes with, “The girl thought to herself, ‘Each is much like this. Each day is a gift… with a bit of magic. It is ours to enjoy, to taste, to experience.’ And, because she didn’t know how many candies were in that miraculous little dish, she savored each one as if it were her last.”
21. The Monster At the End of This Book
This classic book was a favorite of mine as a kid and one I loved reading to my students when I worked in educational settings. I now have the joy of reading this one with my kids and my appreciation for it has not decreased. In it, Grover is afraid when he learns that there’s a monster at the end of the book but he’s pleasantly surprised when he discovers that the monster isn’t as scary as he initially imagined.
22. The Pumpkin Book
This is a neat, educational book about the lifecycle of pumpkins.
23. The Pumpkin Gospel
This is a simple, glow in the dark board book that uses the analogy of carving a jack-o-lantern to teach young readers the gospel message.
24. The Pumpkin Patch Parable
This book tells the story of a farmer who grows and picks a pumpkin and turns it into a jack-o-lantern. This story is a parable about how God changes His people from the inside out. It contains Bible verses on each page and it is available free as an ebook on Hoopla.
25. Where the Wild Things Are
I recently purchased a used copy of this book and greatly enjoyed reading it out loud to my kids. It’s not a Christian book but I did find it neat that when the wild things gnashed their teeth, the main character, Max, commanded them, “BE STILL!” It reminds me of the power and victory Jesus has over sin and death which is a great reminder for my children when they’re afraid of some of the Halloween decorations we’ve seen on display. The wild things are more silly than scary and they seem monster like making this a great October read.
