{9} Boo Picture Books

Halloween books is one of my favorite seasonal genres of books and I'm not just saying that because that's what I'm currently reading to my boys.  Halloween isn't even close to my favorite holiday and until recently I barely even tolerated it.  However, there are so many fun books that I really love reading every year that has changed my whole outlook on the holiday.  

I've done a few Halloween book lists in past years: 

{15} Favorite Halloween Picture Books (2021)
{9} Pumpkins Picture Books (2021)
{9} Picture Books Featuring Ghosts (2022)

And while there might be a little overlap between this list and some of those prior lists, these are all BOO books.  A subgenre I didn't even realize we read many of until I saw our library books all stacked up last October.  I don't always pull book flights to read to the boys but sometimes we do (like all books about pumpkins the day we went to the pumpkins patch) and I'm always a little delighted to find a book flight I didn't know we were already reading. 

 

B is for Boo by Greg Paprocki
Greg Paprocki has written and illustrated so many fun alphabet books, many of which we own.  My boys are, sadly getting old for alphabet books but I still read them because the pictures are so just so charming.  This one is all Halloween themed and now my 1st grader reads most of it to me.

Cookie Boo by Ruth Paul
Seven spooky cookies are just waiting in a tin for the moonlight magic to begin.  The cookies escape on Halloween night and will get into some tricks and treats before the night is over!  I wish I could make cookies that look as cute as these!

Just Say Boo! by Susan Hood, illustrated by Jed Henry
A fun story about trick or treating with lots of chances to shout "Boo!" for any kids you are reading aloud too.  My youngest can read the word now but when he was a little younger we still read this enough that he remembered where the Boo!s went (and I think the rhythm is fairly consistent that it doesn't take long to catch on). 

Little Boo by Stephen Wunderli, illustrated by Tim Zeltner
Little Boo is a pumpkin seed who is just too impatient to grow up.  It wants to be a big pumpkin and it wants that NOW.  Nobody is scared of a pumpkin seed but they could be scared of a jack o'lantern!  Great for any younger sibling especially who just wants to keep up with older brothers or sisters.

Boo! Haiku by Deanna Caswell, illustrated by Bob Shea
My favorite part of this book is that it introduces kids to Haikus!  I've probably learned what they are many times in my life and I know I've had to write some as school assignments but I still couldn't tell you the exact rhythm.  Anyway, I'm sure my kids will come across them in some English class at some point and maybe they'll remember this book.  Great for the preschool-kindergarten age group, read the little Haiku and they guess which Halloween character it is about!

The Little Ghost Who Lost Her Boo! by Elaine Bickell, illustrated by Raymond McGrath
This is in my top 5 favorite Halloween books.  A ghost goes to scare someone in the woods and realizes that the ghost has lost it's BOO!  It can't scare anyone without a boo!  The ghost goes around to different animals who offer to share their sounds (Moo! Cock a doodle Doo! Who-whoo!) but none of them are quite right for the ghost.  As the night fades to day, will the ghost find it's boo??

Click, Clack, Boo! by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
Some of the Farmer Brown books are better than others but this is one that worked it's way into our constant rotation (I think the election one is the most clever of them all).  The barnyard animals are getting ready for Halloween and scaring Farmer Brown a little.  These are just fun seasonal books to read.  Not at all scary for kids.

Boo Who? by Ben Clanton
A shy ghost is having trouble fitting into the group, the other creatures are welcoming but they can't always SEE Ghost which makes playing a little hard (although Ghost is GREAT at hide and seek).  Celebrates being appreciated for who you are!

A Wee Boo by Jessica Boyd, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan
Wee Boo is a ghost who just can't wait to scare like all the other licensed ghosts.  Once Wee Boo is accredited she is devastated to learn that she is just too cute to scare anyone!  Not a problem that a ghost wants to have!

I have been saving most of these to read all in one sitting, it's a fun little theme!