Halloween Diverse Books Round-Up
Hey Loves!
I’m back with another collab with Lakeisha from Maya’s Book Nook and this one is all about Halloween. True story- I love Halloween. Growing up with my dad, we went hard every 31st of October and it’s honestly the holiday I have the most memories of. If you’ve been following along vis socials, you’ve seen my kids Boo Baskets and our attempts to have lots of Halloween fun safely! This year, as COVID-19 continues to impact how we do things, what won’t change is the learning and fun we will have with books. Let’s get into it!
Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes is a beautifully illustrated book that takes us through Halloween night. Black cats, carved pumpkins and witches, oh my! They join some other ghouls and at the haunted mansion they converge for a monstrous ball! This bilingual book provides great Spanish vocabulary and includes a Spanish/English glossary.
Monster Trouble by Lane Fredrickson is a cute rhyming tale that follows little Winifred on a quest for a good night’s sleep. She loves ghouls and thinks monsters are cute but when it comes to bedtime, she still can’t sleep. Fed up and tired, Winifred finds a gentle way to keep the monsters at bay.
Samurai ScareCrow A Very Ninja Halloween by Rubin Pingh follows two siblings on Halloween night. It can be rough always being followed around or copied by a younger sibling and it can be tougher being told you aren’t welcome. That doesn’t stop these two from showing each other love on Halloween night.
Shake Dem Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa is a jazzy tale of Halloween Night. As the city gets dark and quiet, it’s not time for the ghouls to come out and prank. It’s time for the music to crank! Join your favorite classic fairytale characters at the Halloween Ball. Written to a lively beat and poured with diverse illustrations, your kiddos will be grooving all the way to Halloween.
Día De Los Muertos by Roseanne Greenefield Thong breaks down this special Mexican Holiday for you and your littles. Removing lots of the culturally appropriated propoganda, this books allows the whole family to learn and celebrate by learning why this celebration is special and important.
Pumpkin Day by Candice Ransom is the perfect read before going to the pumpkin patch. The simple, rhyming text describes a family’s trip to the patch to find the perfect pumpkins. I love all of the adjectives used throughout the book, as they can be reinforced in daily conversations and activities.
Runaway Pumpkins by Teresa Bateman is a new release that just came out in August 2020. A bumpy ride back to school after a class trip to the pumpkin patch causes a latch to open on the bus causing all of the pumpkins to fall out. The only one left is a huge pumpkin strapped to the top of the bus. While disappointed, the students make the best of it by coming together to decorate the lone pumpkin. Just like the saying, make lemonade out of lemons, neighbors came together to make pumpkin pie (and other goodies) out of the smashed pumpkins that fell from the bus.
Pumpkin Countdown by Joan Holub is a good book to get your little ones counting. It features another field trip to the pumpkin patch, but this time, the class counts everything in sight! Lots of number practice on each page as you try to identify all of the things counted by the class.
How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow by Wendell Minor will take readers on a fantasy ride! Little readers will learn lots of synonyms for big, while reimagining what some of the country’s landmarks would look like if enormous pumpkins were involved.
Super Spooked by Gina Bellisario is a part of the Ellie Ultra chapter book series. Ellie is invited over to a friend’s house for a Halloween sleepover. Everyone is having fun until the lights go out and Fairy Frightmare sprinkles nightmare dust all over them. You’ll have to read this one to find out if Ellie can conquer her fears to help save her friends.
