There seems to be a vintage feeling to this Halloween season. From decorators going the crafty route this year, to the sequels and remakes of well-loved movies like Practical Magic and Carrie; the ghost of Halloween past is haunting us (in a good way!). So, whether you are rereading these for yourself, or introducing these titles to the little readers in your life, we at WBRL hope you have a safe and Happy Halloween full of fun and spooky reads!
Our Sesame Street friends visit us in our first book, written by Michela Muntean who has authored over 65 Sesame Street and Golden Book titles. In this book the Sesame Street friends all dress as witches and they play a game where they have people guess which witch is which. The game is a barrel of fun until Oscar the Grouch turns the tables on them with his own Halloween trick. Tom Brannon, the illustrator, has been a contributor to Sesame Street, Muppet, Muppet Babies and Bear in the Big Blue house books since the 80s and continuing until today so his bright and cheerful illustrations are sure to bring you back to the days of Halloween around a storytime circle!
Being published in 2001, this is the most recent book on our list, but it has quickly become a family favourite that is getting passed on to the newest generation. The story depicts a witch and her cat flying happily over forests, mountains and rivers on her broomstick until a stormy wind blows away her things. Luckily, a bird, dog, and a frog are around to help the witch retrieve her stuff in exchange for a ride on the broom, but the magical broomstick wasn’t made to carry so many! Just as the broom snaps the group is faced with a dragon, what will they do! This fun rhyming tale shows the generosity of friends in rough times and will certainly be a Halloween favourite you keep coming back to year after year.
This one was a personal addition. It’s a humorous tale about a Chef named Dan finding himself at his wits end trying to satisfy a hungry ghost so he could earn his $5000 reward from a relator man for staying in the haunted house all night. I must have read this book over a hundred times to many different story time attendees over the years. It used to be a favourite of mine when I was younger, and I couldn’t help but want to pass it on to the library kids. I have such incredible memories of reading it to them, asking questions about all the things the ghost of Sifty Sifty Sam would eat, and asking them if they were brave enough to do what chef Dan did—if you were wondering, we have some pretty braver kids who said yes!
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
This novel contains all three of the classics, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark novels in one, all of them featuring the fantastically creepy artwork by Stephen Gammell that I am sure still pop into your head on those lonesome spooky nights. You will surely remember some of these scary stories, as I am certain they still have a hold on you like they do myself, like The Big Toe and The Dead Man’s Hand. Did you know that Gammell’s books were so terrifying that they were a frequent target for book bans in the 90s due to the Satanic Panic at the time? In fact, we have a documentary that you might want to also check out if you are a huge fan of the titles!
In this classic Roald Dahl book, a young boy learns about witches from his Norwegian grandmother, who is an expert on the subject. After learning about an evil plot of the Witches of England at a hotel, the boy attempts to put an end to their plan once and for all. This scary adventure story traps our main character in many hopeless situations and turns up the suspense, making it a true page turner that has stood the test of time. Also, who can forget the transformation scene! Truly horrifying stuff—even as an adult!
You can honestly take your pick with your long-lost favourite goosebumps read, because we have a ton for you to choose from! I added the favourites of my siblings and my own here! Say Cheese and Die! is a classic where Greg finds an old camera that takes photographs that turn out...different. The Haunted Mask is a classic where Carly Beth finds an unbelievably frightening Halloween mask, and has fun scaring her friends with it, that is until it becomes attached to her skin! The last one stars Goosebump’s main villain, a character I’m sure you’ll remember, Slappy. In Night of the Living Dummy Lindy finds a ventriloquist dummy and learns to make him move and talk, but her friend Kris gets jealous and buys a dummy of her own. However, nasty, evil things begin to happen, and Slappy always seems to be moved upon morning…
With these reads this spooky season, you’ll be able to drift back in time to the Halloween of your childhood. Who knows, when you open the covers, you might even be able to faintly smell the crisp fall air, gleaming candy apples, and a grinning jack o’lantern of days past.
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