This spooky shelf might be one of my favourite ever creations as a book blogger - it's just so cute! And I love that the covers of t...

5 New (to us) Halloween Picture Books

Wednesday, October 17, 2018 BookBairn 8 Comments


This spooky shelf might be one of my favourite ever creations as a book blogger - it's just so cute! And I love that the covers of the books are so well co-ordinated. This is BookBairn's fourth Halloween so I've curated a great selection of Spooky Books over the years and you can read about all of them by clicking here, and two that we have returned to over and over this year are Trick or Treat by Hayley Down and  Sarah Vince, and Spooky House by Aimee Chapman, Hannah Cockayne and Amy Oliver with illustrations by Dan Crisp. And this year we have added a few more to our collection.



Meg and Mog by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski are a classic pair who have been haunting little readers for nearly thirty years and they still stand the test of time. Meg is preparing for a Halloween spell-fest with her friends, and Mog, her cat, tags along on her broom. But Meg's spell doesn't quite go as expected. With brilliant bright backgrounds, and characters that are enchanting, it's no wonder BookBairn is just another reader to fall under Meg and Mog's spell. A spooky joy to read!



I Am Bat by Morag Hood has to be BookBairn's current favourite read. It's not a surprise really as she loves Morag's other three books in this style of illustration and the crisp clear printing with simple colours and plain backgrounds really make the elements of the story stand out. It also means that there is no where to hide so the story has to be charming. And this one is. It's about a bat who likes cherries and does not want anyone, including you and your reader, to steal them. But they start to disappear. Reading this book requires a great sense of humor and some exasperated and exaggerated expressions but it's just so much fun! And BookBairn has given it her seal of approval.



A Werewolf Named Oliver James by Nicholas John Frith is my favourite new find - thank you our library - and it's the story of a little boy, Oliver James, who was just waiting for the bus when something strange happened. The moon appeared from behind a cloud and Oliver became a werewolf. And he thinks it's amazing! Until he realises that everyone he meets on his way home is frightened of him, and then he wonders what his parents are going to say when he gets home. He needn't worry as there's a wonderful twist at the end! The deep purple backgrounds give this book a wonderful eerie feel with an utterly spook-tacular little werewolf at the centre of each spread. The expressions on all the terrified passer-bys faces are wonderful and only upstaged by the perplexed look on werewolf Oliver's face. It's visually stunning and packed full of fun!



How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green was much lauded last year amongst picture book bloggers, but I didn't get a copy as I just felt BookBairn was too young for it, and to be honest she still is for the most part. Though she enjoys the illustrations and the little ghost, she doesn't really understand the humour in the book. But I wanted to share it because I love it. It's exactly what you would expect: a manual for how to make friends with a ghost. It includes a three-step guide with diagrams and recipes on everything from activities, bedtime and hiding spots. The ending is bittersweet as it talks about growing old with your ghost and then the girl character disappears and there are two ghosts instead. This touching on death and afterlife is handled very delicately but you may want to think about whether your child is at the right stage to understand this or their own experiences on this subject - you know your child best. The illustrations are adorable, and have charmed BookBairn, and I love the layout of the book. It may be one better for slightly older children but it's a wonderful book!




We got this book last year but BookBairn showed very little interest in reading it until I put it up on the shelf and she said "Mummy, that's Funnybones" after they had read it at nursery. I could have fist bumped the air as I love Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg and it's one of the few books that I remember from my childhood. I can recite the first page from memory! These three skeletons: big skeleton, little skeleton and dog skeleton are imprinted on me and now I get to enjoy the story with BookBairn. It's about these three skeletons and the wonderful mischief they get up to at night and it's a perfect example of everything a wonderful read aloud book should be. The illustrations are packed full of humour and the comic book style is great for readers like BookBairn who want to follow a slightly longer story. We just love it!



I hope you found some Spook-tacular stories here and 
Happy Halloween when the time comes!
Mummy, SpookBairn and The Wee Page Vampire (who struggles to resist taking a bite out of a book!) 


Disclaimer: We were bought or borrowed these books, none were gifted for review by publishers. Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the title or image of the book you will be sent to amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-70p per book) from amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.




Read With Me

8 comments:

  1. Nice selection. SpookBairn called me Papa Pumkinhead today. Not sure about that but I’ll take it in the spirit of Halloween 🎃

    ReplyDelete
  2. Meg & Mog and Funny Bones are such classics, perfect for this time of year! #readwithme

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely! I'll bet we are still reading them even when they've outgrown picture books!

      Delete
  3. Meg and Mog is such a classic that I remember from my own childhood. I like the sound of A Werewolf Named Oliver James for my niece. I think it would terrify my sensitive nephew!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It might! But actually it's quite cute really (unless he thinks he might really turn into a werewolf!).

      Delete
  4. Funnybones and Meg and Mog are really popular at this time of year, we love Winnie the Witch too. I really want to read How to Make Friends with a Ghost, it sounds really bittersweet.

    #ReadWithMe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It absolutely is! And Funnybones and Meg and Mog are still delighting readers!!

      Delete