Very young children will enjoy these Halloween board books with their sturdy pages and colorful illustrations. The simple stories in these children's books will not scare young children. For Halloween fun, I recommend these Halloween board books. Several are lift the flap Halloween board books.
1. My First Halloween
Penguin
If you are looking for a Halloween board book for children three and older that provides a cheerful introduction to some Halloween traditions, I recommend My First Halloween by Tomie dePaola. With limited text and simple, almost childlike, watercolors, dePaola features family Halloween preparations and activities. The family carves pumpkins and makes ghosts, bats, witches and other symbols of Halloween. They decorate their house with black and orange, the traditional Halloween colors. Parents and children put on their costumes. Then, they celebrate Halloween by going trick-or-treating and hosting a Halloween party. (Grosset & Dunlap, a Division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 1991, 2008. ISBN: 978044844858)
2. Five Little Pumpkins
HarperCollins
This board book is perfect for preschoolers. The "Five Little Pumpkins" rhyme is a popular one, easy to learn and fun to repeat with finger plays. The book's sturdy construction will hold up during repeated readings. The rhythm and rhyme of the text and Dan Yaccarino's artwork, with its bold colors and shapes, will engage your child's attention. (HarperCollins, 2003 ISBN: 0694011770)
3. Where Is Baby's Pumpkin?
Simon & Schuster
Two- to four-year-olds will enjoy Where Is Baby's Pumpkin?, a lift-the-flap board book by Karn Katz. A toddler, dressed in a cat costume for Halloween, searches for her pumpkin. As she looks, she asks herself where it could be. Each question, such as, "Is it in the closet?" is followed by a lift-the-flap page that is sturdy enough for little hands to discover the answer. After looking in five different places, on her sixth try, Baby finds her pumpkin, a container for Halloween candy. Off she goes trick-or-treating. The bright and lively illustrations, with their glittery touches, will capture little ones' attention. (Little Simon, An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2006. ISBN: 9781416909705)
4. Trick or Treat?
Candlewick Press
Brightly colored childlike paintings cover the pages of Trick or Treat! by Melanie Walsh. There is a special "scary" flap on every page for little hands to lift. Popular Halloween symbols are illustrated, including: a pumpkin and (when the flap is lifted) a jack-o-lantern, a spider, children in costume, treats, ghosts and more. There's no real story, just appealing Halloween illustrations and, with the help of the flaps, Halloween transformations. Recommended for two- to four=year-olds. (Candlewick Press, 2006. ISBN: 9780763642952)
5. Mouse’s First Halloween
With rhythm, rhyme, and repetition, Lauren Thompson tells the story of Mouse’s first Halloween. The emphasis is on all the scary sounds that Mouse hears, scary sounds that turn out to be “Not so scary after all” when Mouse finds out what is making them. Young children will enjoy repeating key phrases and trying to identify the sources of the scary sounds. Double-page paintings on canvas provide the appropriate atmosphere of mystery (Little Simon, Simon & Schuster, 2000. ISBN: 0689855842)6. Max’s Halloween
Rosemary Wells’ beloved bunnies, Max and his older sister Ruby, go trick or treating. Although Ruby insists on holding Max’s candy so he won’t eat so much he gets sick, Max contrives to continue to collect candy, with the help of sympathetic neighbors and relatives. (Viking, A Division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2004. ISBN: 0670058998)7. Tom Arma’s Halloween Treats: A Touch-and-Feel Book
This Halloween board book is filled with photographs of happy babies and toddlers, one to a page, dressed up for Halloween, Seven touch-and-feel areas of the book containing fabric of varying textures are spaced throughout the book. (Grossett & Dunlap, Inc. 1999. ISBN: 0448418991)8. The Little Pumpkin Book
Author Katharine Ross does an excellent job of describing the life cycle of pumpkins, from seeds to plants to jack-o-lanterns and pies, with seeds left over for the next growing season. Kathy Bratum’s detailed illustrations show a brother and sister as they work together: in the garden, carving a jack-o-lantern, and making pies and cookies. (Random House, Inc., 1992. ISBN: 0679833846)