Halloween Read Alouds Students are Guaranteed to Love
Are you teaching in an elementary classroom and looking for some great Halloween tales to add to your library? Here are my 15 favorite Halloween read alouds for any elementary classroom.
Read Aloud 1: Creepy Carrots
Creepy Carrots is a spooky but adorable tale that follows the story of Jasper, a rabbit who is SURE carrots are following him everywhere. The slightly scary (but school appropriate) tale and funny twist will be sure to have students on the edge of their seats.
Read Aloud 2: Stellaluna
Stellaluna is such a sweet tale about a bat that loses track of her mother and finds a family of birds to live with. The bat tries to fit in with the birds, but struggles. When the bat is reunited with her family, she still visits the birds and they cherish both of their talents. There are so many great lessons that this book can teach little ones, plus it is such a heartwarming story.
Read Aloud 3: Trick or Treat
Trick or Treat (now called Boo! I See You!) is a CUTE book about a little boy that is frightened of other kids’ Halloween costumes. His sister walks around with a flashlight, showing him that under the costumes, there are just kids. Until they meet a family of skeletons, that is more afraid of them! They use the flashlight to show the skeletons that underneath, they are just like the skeletons! You can use the flashlight on your book too! Sooo, so cute and funny!
Read Aloud 4: Little Boo
Little Boo is the tale of a seed that really wants to scare people, but he is too small. He tries and tries, but isn’t scary enough. Wind tells him to be patient and wait, so he goes underground and grows a sprout. As a sprout he tries and tries, but still fails to scare passersby. He keeps growing, and eventually becomes a pumpkin that gets carved into a jack-o-lantern. He is finally spooky enough to scare people! This story teaches patience and perseverance, with a fun Halloween spin. Perfect for kiddos of all ages.
Read Aloud 5: Spookley the Square Pumpkin
Spookley the Square Pumpkin is a square shaped pumpkin that doesn’t quite fit in with his round friends. One night, there is a big storm and the pumpkins begin washing away. Thankfully, Spookley’s square shape is JUST what they need to save the day. The next year, the pumpkin patch is FULL of pumpkins of different shapes, sizes and colors. This celebrates diversity, is NOT spooky and is a great way to embrace all things fall without talking about Halloween.
Read Aloud 6: Creepy Pair of Underwear
Jasper is BACK in action in Creepy Pair of Underwear. This time, instead of carrots following him around, YOU GUESSED IT! There is UNDERWEAR glowing up and following him around. In this funny tale, your kiddos are sure to laugh and enjoy Jasper’s new adventure.
Read Aloud 7: Room on the Broom
Room on the Broom is a classic rhyming tale about a witch that keeps dropping things off her broom, then picking up new passengers when she is collecting the dropped belongings. Eventually, the broom snaps and the creatures find themselves in danger. Will the witch make it? This is a heartwarming tale that kiddos are sure to love. Great for all ages!
Read Aloud 8: There’s a Monster in Your Book
Young kiddos (second grade and down) LOVE these books by Tom Fletcher! There’s A Monster in Your Book.. and you will need to wiggle, shake, flip, and blow him out of your book.. but then where will he go?! You are going to have to get him back in the book! Kids LOVE these interactive read alouds, and this one is PERFECT for Halloween!
Read Aloud 9: I Need My Monster
I Need My Monster is a cute but scary tale about a picky boy who’s monster has gone fishing for the night. He goes through a series of monsters that aren’t up to his scare standard. Finally, his monster returns! This book is best suited for older kiddos (1st grade and up) as it can be a TAD scary to think about a monster living under your bed. I also love to pair this with students creating their own monsters using similes. So much fun! Grab that fun Simile Monster project here.
Read Aloud 10: Pumpkin Magic
What do pumpkins do when you are asleep at night? Pumpkin Magic is a fun rhyming tale about pumpkins playing on the street and having parties while we are asleep. This quick read aloud is great to teach rhyming words, and is perfect to squeeze in on a day where you might not have enough time for a longer book.
Read Aloud 11: Boneapart Falls Apart
Boneapart is a little (cute) skeleton boy ready to start school… but he keeps falling apart. His friends try to put him back together, with webs and screws, but he can’t move or function properly when this happens. He is worried he won’t fit in at school.. but finds out that it is actually okay to be a bit clumsy and fits right in with his classmates. This cute, heartwarming tale is PERFECT for any grade during Halloween.
Read Aloud 12: Runaway Mummy
Runaway Mummy is a cute tale for younger readers (K-2). It follows the story of a Mom Mummy and a Child Mummy who are talking, and the boy says he’s going to run away and turn into all sorts of monsters. The mom replies by telling him what bigger monster she will become to protect him and keep him safe. The illustrations are beautiful and hysterical, and younger students or kids are sure to enjoy this tale.
Read Aloud 13: Crankenstein
Crankenstein is actually a great book all year long, but we love to relate it to Frankenstein. What happens when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Or when you have one of those days where EVERYTHING seems to be going wrong… it’s not fun right? Well what if you are having that day AND you cross another person having that kind of day? Crankenstein will show you! This is a great, non-spooky, read-aloud perfect for Halloween time. I also love to pair it with a fun FrankenPudding craft & snack.
Read Aloud 14: Bone Soup
Bone Soup is a play on Stone Soup with a Halloween twist. Three witches go door to door to find the perfect ingredient for their bone soup. While most people don’t think it will be good soup, the littlest creature helps them find exactly what they need. Super cute, repetitive read aloud perfect for any k-2 classroom!
Read Aloud 15: Skelly’s Halloween
Skelly’s Halloween is a comical tale about a skeleton who loves to trick or treat. This funny tale teaches kiddos the importance of being themselves. It is definitely geared toward a younger audience, K-1.
How To Use These Read Alouds Each Day:
I read aloud one book a day, then have students practice writing summaries about the book we read aloud as a reading center. Reading aloud daily truly helps build not only a love of reading, but models good fluency and oral comprehension. Kiddos are sure to love it! Check out my favorite titles above (affiliate links included), and grab this Halloween Story Elements Summary Set here.
Am I missing a favorite? Drop it in the comments below!