I wrote a post during the spooky season of last year based upon my ‘Five Favourite Kid-Friendly Halloween Movies‘ and whilst I would love to do similar this year my choices haven’t really changed as such.
Along with Halloween films/ movies we also enjoy reading a range of spooky stories each year some of which I have selected to share with you.
Five Frightful Favourite Tales For Little Ones
Funny Bones – Janet & Allan Ahlberg
This is the first in Janet & Allan Ahlberg’s ‘Funnybones’ series telling the humorous tale of a skeleton family. These books a must have for children just starting out learning to read, there’s nothing particularly scary about these stories but they will certainly raise a smile and get you in the mood for some Halloween happiness.
Meg and Mog – Helen Nicoll & Jan Pienkowski
There are a massive range of ‘Meg and Mog’ books available most of which have now been put into collections for purchase. We own a fair amount of Meg and Mog in this household and Jan Pienkowski is a firm favourite with both of our children thanks to her simple, rhythmic writing alongside Helen Nicoll’s bright and bold illustrations. These books are ideal for little ones all year round but especially so over Halloween.
Room On The Broom- Julia Donaldson & Axel Sheffler
Julia Donaldson is probably one of the most famous children’s authors currently on the market. Room On The Broom is yet another classic, rhyming story which was later adapted into a BBC film and is now a Worldwide well-loved tale.
Ten Little Monsters – Mike Brownlow & Simon Rickerty
Ten Little Monsters is part of series written by Mike Brownlow and illustrated by Simon Rickerty. Our daughters favourite read is currently ‘Ten Little Princesses’, yet another book within this series, all of which are fantastic rhyming stories helping to build counting skills and number recognition.
Not Now Bernard – David McKee
Although our children were initially quite terrified by the concept of being eaten by a monster, this tale has grown on them over time as they find it highly amusing that any parent could be so negligent as to not notice their own child having transformed into a monster.
This hilarious but classic tale is certainly worth a read this Halloween but be warned you may want to reassure your children that you would never mistake them for a monster no matter how busy you may be!
Two Terrific Spooky Stories For Older Children & Teens
I decided to split this list into two sections as whilst the following reads may still be suitable and enjoyed by little ones they are more suited towards older children and preteens.
The Worst Witch – Jill Murphy
Jill Murphy’s Worst Witch series is a fantastic read for girls or boys aged around seven years and over. Jill Murphy’s tales of Mildred Hubble have since been adapted into a variety of TV series and although I’ve seen a few episodes on television I have to say I much prefer the books. My son has really enjoyed listening to Mildred Hubbles tales of being ‘The Worst Witch’. I’m fairly certain that J K Rowling must have read a fair bit of ‘The Worst Witch’ prior to writing Harry Potter as the stories share a ‘boarding school’ base and similar magical material.
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone -J.K Rowling
Harry Potter is of course, the world-famous wizard created by brilliant British novelist, J.K Rowling. Whilst Harry Potter first started as a singular book it later developed into a seven-part series following which each and every book was adapted into film format. Whilst there are certainly some elements of horror within Harry Potter’s stories it is certainly suitable for seven-year olds and over and has been enjoyed Worldwide for the past twenty years by both children and adults alike.
We love Harry Potter in this household, he is a firm favourite with both us adults and the children. We have recently re-read this story to our son and will no doubt be watching the film whilst scoffing our Halloween sweets and treats in a few weeks time.
I hope that you enjoyed reading my ‘Seven Spooky Stories’ post and look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions upon further frightful reads for littles one this Halloween.
