Halloween is such a huge event in Canada with stores full of pumpkins, ghosts, candy and costumes. It is certainly gaining a bigger following in the UK now but it can’t compare with my childhood Halloweens. My costume was always made to fit over my snowsuit, as we inevitably had snow by the end of October. My dad would carry my two pillowcases as they would get quite heavy by the end of the evening.
Think Hocus Pocus fun, streets filled with families and every house decorated and handing out various goodies. At the end of the evening, we would come home, empty the sacks of candy and it would get sorted! I was then allowed bits and pieces each day and sometimes, the candy would last until Christmas.
These books give me those memories in full technicolour and I can’t help but smile reading them!
No Home for a Ghost by Jess Rose, Published by Owlet Press
Dylan and his family move into a new home and it is bigger and better than ever. This new home has everything they could want, including a ghost. The ghost is friendly but follows its own rules- playing music at night, not using doors and moving things around. The family try to get rid of the ghost and when it finally leaves, most of them feel happy to have their house to themselves. Dylan, however, questions their actions with true empathetic questions. “How would you feel…” and the family can see he is upset. Heading out on Halloween to find the ghost, they see they were wrong to make the ghost leave his own home. Wonderfully written and illustrated, this will open up conversations about empathy and kindness and the concept of home.
The Pumpkin Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Michelle Robinson and Mike Byrne, Published by Scholastic
Halloween is not fun for every child, it can sometimes be scary and worrying. From choosing a costume to planning trick or treat routes, it can be a scary experience. Boo, the littlest pumpkin, does not want to dress up and is scared of bats, witches and the dark. She wants to stay and hide in her pumpkin patch. When a brother and sister come to pick a pumpkin, the little brother is scared and worried, not enjoying Halloween at all. Boo sees an opportunity to be brave and fearless, like all pumpkins should be, and she shares her own fears with the boy. By sharing and helping each other, Boo and the boy head out to face Halloween together. Rhyming and easy to read, this is a brilliant story to share with the youngest readers. It should help with worries around the darker evenings and Halloween. The illustrations are simple, colourful and charming.
The Baddies by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Published by Scholastic
It true Donaldson and Scheffler style, The Baddies is their next big hit and just in time for Halloween and the spooky season of darker, chillier evenings. When a troll, a witch and a ghost are challenged with getting a blue spotty hanky from their new neighbour, they immediately set to their tasks. All of them are boastful and full of their own merits, enjoying being bad and causing trouble. If they can steal the hanky they will be the baddest of the three. Taking their turns, the troll, the witch and the ghost, are each in turn outsmarted by the young girl in hilarious fashion. Told in rollicking Donaldson rhyme and with Scheffler’s widely known and loved illustrations, this will fly off the shelves. Readers will love the funny events and will likely cheer when each is outwitted!
I am a primary school teacher, turned librarian. Now I have the title Reading Advocate for ASSET Education Trust, based in Suffolk.
I read constantly and have more books than bookshelves, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
I celebrate reading every day at work and at home with my two children, aged 11 and 9.
I sit on the National Executive Committee for the Federation of Children’s Book Groups and run an OU/UKLA Teachers as Readers group!
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My Shelves Are Full 