The best Usborne Halloween books for kids (spooky but not too scary!)

Halloween doesn't have to be all creepy corridors and things that go bump in the night. For younger kids, some of the best Halloween books turn the spooky season into something much more inviting: pumpkins to paint, ghosts to tickle, stickers to stick, and funny sounds to discover.

If you're looking for Halloween books for kids that are spooky but not too scary, interactive books are a great place to start. They put the emphasis on touching, listening, coloring, making, and playing, with plenty of witches, bats, skeletons, and jack-o'-lanterns joining in the fun.

Halloween books for babies and toddlers

For the youngest Halloween fans, familiar touch-and-feel books can add a little seasonal spookiness without changing the fun of storytime.

That's not my pumpkin...

That's not my pumpkin... is a Halloween addition to the THAT'S NOT MY® series for babies ages 3 months and up. Little hands can explore different tactile patches, from fuzzy leaves and bumpy pumpkin skin to a velvety witch's hat, while looking for the little white mouse on every page.

It's pumpkin-themed, touchy-feely, and just spooky enough for a first Halloween bookshelf.

That's not my witch...

For more Halloween magic, That's not my witch... introduces five friendly witches in the familiar THAT'S NOT MY® format. Bright pictures, touchy-feely patches, and the little white mouse give babies plenty to explore as you read together. 

That's not my bat…

Bats may be Halloween regulars, but That's not my bat… keeps things playful. This touch-and-feel board book for ages 3 months+ features five bats, tactile patches, a mouse to find on each page, and purple holographic page edges for an extra seasonal flourish.

Halloween sound books that turn spooky into silly

Don't Tickle the Ghost!

Don't Tickle the Ghost! is a touchy-feely sound book for babies and toddlers ages 6 months+. Kids can press the tactile patches to hear a ghost, witch, werewolf, and other Halloween characters make their sounds.

It's a wonderfully silly way to introduce classic Halloween characters, particularly when everyone knows that the ghost is only making that noise because somebody tickled it!

Don't Tickle the Skeleton!

The warning continues in Don't Tickle the Skeleton!, also for ages 6 months+. Touching the soft patches triggers different sounds as kids meet a skeleton, monster, vampire, and chuckling pumpkin, before the characters come together for a Halloween dance.

Skeletons: traditionally spooky. Ticklish skeletons: rather less so.

Halloween Sound Book

In Halloween Sound Book, Cat, Dog, and their friends are getting ready for a Halloween party, and practicing their best spooky noises along the way. There are five sounds to discover and pumpkins to spot throughout the book. 

For little listeners, it makes Halloween as much about joining in as listening.

Halloween sticker books for creative kids

First Sticker Book Halloween

First Sticker Book Halloween is designed for kids ages 3+. Cute witches, vampires, ghosts, and other supernatural characters fill the scenes, with more than 100 stickers for children to add as they go.

It's a playful choice for kids who want plenty of Halloween atmosphere without needing a scary story.

Little First Stickers Halloween

There are even more stickers to explore in Little First Stickers Halloween, best for age 3+. Kids can decorate scenes including haunted houses, a witches' workshop, a pumpkin patch, and a monster party using more than 300 reusable stickers featuring ghosts, spiders, zombies, and more. A fold-out back cover provides somewhere to keep stickers between activities.

A monster party with 300 stickers to organize is far too busy to be frightening.

Sparkly Halloween Sticker Book

For Halloween with added shimmer, Sparkly Halloween Sticker Book sends kids ages 3+ through a haunted house, creepy crypt, and wailing woods, adding sparkly stickers to the scenes as they go. Look closely and there are plenty of funny details hiding in the illustrations too.

Halloween painting and coloring books

Not every child wants a Halloween story. Some would much rather be handed a paintbrush or a box of crayons and get straight to work.

First Magic Painting Pumpkins

With First Magic Painting Pumpkins, kids ages 3+ need only water and the brush included with the book to reveal the colors hidden in each black-and-white picture.

Scenes include a pumpkin patch, mice carving pumpkins, and friendly Halloween jack-o'-lanterns. A waterproof flap can be placed behind each page while children paint.

It's a particularly good fit for the “pumpkins are fun; jump scares are not” school of Halloween.

Little Coloring Halloween

The US edition Little Coloring Halloween is made for children ages 3+ and is packed with Halloween pictures including bats, cats, and wizards' hats. Bold outlines give young colorers plenty of space to get creative, with simple text for grown-ups to share as they work through the pages.

Crayons at the ready. The witch's hat isn't going to color itself!

Halloween crafts for kids ages 3+

Want the Halloween fun to escape from the book and start appearing around the house?

Halloween Things to Make and Do combines crafts, puzzles, and activities for children ages 3+. Projects include straw skeletons, spooky spiders, paper chains, and pumpkins, with illustrated instructions and tips. There are also drawing, spotting, counting, and matching activities to tackle between makes.

It's a handy pick for a rainy October afternoon. 

Count down to Halloween

When kids are already asking how many sleeps are left until October 31, you might as well make the countdown part of the fun.

13 Nights to Halloween! is an especially tempting choice for families who enjoy stretching the Halloween excitement beyond the big night itself.

Free Halloween activities to download

Need one more thing to keep little monsters occupied?

Our Halloween collection also includes a free downloadable Halloween Activity Pack, so the spooky-season fun can continue away from the bookshelf.

Download the Usborne Halloween Activity Pack >

How to choose a Halloween book that's spooky but not too scary

The simplest place to start is with the kind of activity your child already loves.

• For babies and toddlers, That's not my pumpkin..., That's not my witch..., and That's not my bat… make pumpkins, witches, and bats part of familiar touch-and-feel storytime. For children who love sounds and surprises, Don't Tickle the Ghost!, Don't Tickle the Skeleton!, and Halloween Sound Book put funny noises at the center of the action.
• Creative kids can choose between water painting, coloring, stickers, and crafts with First Magic Painting Pumpkins, Little Coloring Halloween, First Sticker Book Halloween, Little First Stickers Halloween, Sparkly Halloween Sticker Book, and Halloween Things to Make and Do.

The result is Halloween with plenty of atmosphere but lots of other things to concentrate on too: touching, finding, listening, painting, coloring, sticking, making, and laughing.

A Halloween that's more giggles than goosebumps

Halloween can be mysterious without being terrifying. A ghost can be ticklish. A skeleton can dance. A witch can have an interesting hat. And a pumpkin can be waiting patiently for somebody to add water, paint, stickers, or a spectacular shade of orange.

For little kids who prefer their Halloween with more giggles than goosebumps, these interactive books make the spooky season a wonderfully curious place to explore.