HALLOWEEN PICTURE BOOKS

Halloween is kinda my favorite holiday. I like to be scared. I like the whole carvival, surreal atmosphere of people in costume or wearing masks. I like pumpkins and candles and especially when you put them together. I like candy. And I like a bit of macabre in my books now and then. In honor of the coming spooky season, I am posting about a few of my favorite Halloween-ish picture books today. Usually I'm not thinking far enough ahead to put up a post about Halloween books before the actual holiday. The catalyst for this post was an invitation to be in a Google+ hangout with blogger friend Amy of Delightful Children's Books.

Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara (2008) could be a spooky tale of a haunted house, but the cover assures little readers that it's a safe, friendly read. A girl - but not an ordinary girl, this one is an adorable, resourceful witch - moves into a haunted house and makes it into a lovely home. If you so desire, an environmentally friendly subplot could be pointed out as you read this to a child, since the girl not only catches the ghosts, but washes and reuses them!

Mommy? by Authur Yorinks and Maurice Sendak (2006) is a beautifully elaborate pop-up book with a humorous, not-quite-scary scenario. The book follows a baby through a succession of monster lairs as he tries to find his mommy. Unfazed by the monsters, he is able to avoid all kinds of peril with ease. He just wants his mommy, and these monsters will not stand in his way. And, of course he find his mommy in the end, though she might not be what you expected.

Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex (2008) is a silly, gruesome, monster-ridden parody of the classic, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. I love the original, but I'm not opposed to having a little fun at its expense. This picture book will appeal most to children ages 5 and up, and who like a good monster scenario. Especially if they grew up having Goodnight Moon read to them.

You can read about the picture books Amy shared during our hangout on her blog and you can watch a recording of the hangout below.