Story Time: Something NEW Just for YOU in October

by | Oct 29, 2025 | Blog, Kid's Corner, Story Time | 0 comments

Did you know Halloween can be turned into a spook-tacular literacy activity for you and your child? Read Halloween books to introduce new words and foster a love for reading. Try describing your favorite Halloween characters and put them into a play or story. Play rhyming games with Halloween words like… moon & broom, cat & hat. Or you can try some of the books and activities below. Happy Halloween!

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Ages 3-5

Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play

Tip

Halloween is a fun time of year, filled with costumes, candy, and creativity. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to foster a love for literacy in children of all ages.

Activity

Try taking advantage of the season’s most iconic symbol, the pumpkin, to teach your little ones their ABCs. Write letters on small paper pumpkins or use alphabet stickers and hide them around your home or yard. Encourage your child to find and identify the letters, helping them associate each letter with its corresponding sound.

Books Presented

Book cover for The Zombees by Justin Colón

The Zombees by Justin Colón

On Halloween, a swarm of undead bees invades the town to deliver spooks and sweets.
Book cover for Zooloween by Alan Katz

Zooloween by Alan Katz

It’s Halloween at the zoo, and it’s time for the animals to show off their costumes! But who will win the grand prize for best dressed? The night is full of fun and surprises!
Book cover for Chicka Chicka Tricka Treat by Julien Chung

Chicka Chicka Tricka Treat by Julien Chung

It’s Halloween in this companion to the beloved and bestselling classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and there’s a spooky surprise in store for everyone’s favorite letters!

A told B,
and B told C,
“Let’s sneak to the top
of the creaky old tree.”

The classic alphabet chant gets a Halloween twist as the letters sneak their way up the tree, all donning their spiffiest costumes. But when a witch swoops in, and the letters come tumbling down, will that be the end of their Halloween fun…or just the beginning?

Book cover for The Gingerbread Monster by Dan Gemeinhart

The Gingerbread Monster by Dan Gemeinhart

Bestselling author Dan Gemeinhart’s spooky rhyming text pairs perfectly with Hugo L. Cuellar’s deviously delightful illustrations to tell a picture book tale about a young baker whose Gingerbread Man creation comes to life with a fright–yet even monsters long for a friend. In his laboratory high on the hill, Frank N. Stine has a ferocious sweet tooth that snarls to be fed. But when an eerie experiment spills into his Gingerbread batter, a frightening cookie creation comes to life! The Gingerbread Monster is hulking, horrific . . . and hungry. But as Frank is chased by his creepy creation, the young baker begins to wonder what the Monster truly craves. After all, there’s no sweeter treat than friendship. Bestselling author Dan Gemeinhart’s spooky rhyming text pairs perfectly with Hugo L. Cuellar’s deviously delightful illustrations, showcasing how even monsters long for a friend. Perfect for fans of Creepy Carrots!, The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, and Tim Burton.

Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays

Trick or Treaters, What do You See?

(tune: Twinkle, Twinkle)
Trick or treaters, trick or treaters, what do you see?
I see a Jack ‘O Lantern looking at me!
Slap, slap, clap clap, 1,2,3!

Jack ‘O Lantern, Jack ‘O Lantern, what do you see?
I see a Purple Bat looking at me!
Slap, slap, clap clap, 1,2,3!

Purple Bat, Purple Bat, what do you see?
I see a Black Cat looking at me!
Slap, slap, clap clap, 1,2,3!

Black Cat, Black Cat, what do you see?
I see a purple monster looking at me!
Slap, slap, clap clap, 1,2,3!

Purple Monster, purple monster, what do you see?
I see a skeleton looking at me!
Slap, slap, clap clap, 1,2,3!

Skeleton, skeleton, what do you see?
I see a white ghost looking at me!
Whoooooooo!

Adapted from Storytime Source Page 

Here is the Beehive (ZomBEE style)

Here is the beehive
But where are all the bees?
Flying away to go trick or treat.
Will they go flying back to their hive?
One, two, three, four, five! Bzzzzz… BOO!

Here is the beehive
But where are all the bees?
Flying away to go trick or treat.
Will they go flying back to their hive?
One, two, three, four, five! Bzzzzz… BOO!

Buzz up high. Buzz down low.
Buzzing fast. Buzzing slow.
Buzz to the left. Buzz to the right.
Buzz all day and SCARE at night.

Here is the beehive
But where are all the bees?
Flying away to go trick or treat.
Will they go flying back to their hive?
One, two, three, four, five! Bzzzzz… BOO!

Adapted from Super Simple Songs

If You’re Happy & You Know It (Halloween Style)

If you’re a skeleton and you know it, rattle your bones
If you’re a skeleton and you know it, rattle your bones
If you’re a skeleton and you know it
Then your bones will surely show it
If you’re a skeleton and you know it, rattle your bones

Repeat with:
If you’re a cat and you know it, say “Meow…”
If you’re a bat and you know it, flap your wings…
If you’re a wolf and you know it, give a howl…
If you’re a ghost and you know it, just say, “BOO!”

Source: Storytime Source Page

Little Ghost, Little Ghost

(tune: I’m a Little Teapot)
Little ghost, little ghost.
We’re looking for you.
Are you in the _____ house?
Just say, “Booooo!” 

Crafts and Activities

Coloring page featuring a witch cat flying on a broom over the words Happy Halloween.

Happy Halloween Coloring Page

 

 

A witch's broom made from handprints and a paint stick.

Witch's Broom Craft

Additional Books

Book cover for I Got the Spooky Spirit by Connie Schofield-Morrison

I Got the Spooky Spirit by Connie Schofield-Morrison

As Halloween approaches, a young girl is filled with the spooky spirit as she carves pumpkins, hangs up decorations, and hosts a big ghostly dance
Book cover for Leonard Builds a Haunted House by Mike Ciccotello

Leonard Builds a Haunted House

Leonard the cheerful, can-do ghost is building his family members a new haunted house. It needs to be the scariest house EVER! Except the more Leonard builds, the less creepy their new home looks. From the un-scary cellar to the snug roof that doesn’t leak, it’s nothing like the house of horrors his family imagined … or is it?

Book cover for Little Ghost Makes a Friend by Maggie Edkins Willis

Little Ghost Makes a Friend by Maggie Edkins Willis

A shy ghost learns the secret to making a friend is being his spooky, sparkly self.
Book cover for Meowl-o-Ween by Diane Muldrow

Meow-o-ween by Diane Muldrow

It’s Meowl-o-ween, and the cats are out! In the glow of a harvest moon they gather–whiskers twitching, tails a-switching. Led by a scruffy black cat, they slink, pounce, and scare on the spookiest night of the year. But not all the cats are enjoying Halloween…a lost kitten is frightened by the crowds, until Mama finds her and they watch the cats’ parade together.

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