not-too-spooky books perfect for halloween

With the beautiful fall weather we’ve been having, my mind just can’t grasp that Halloween is just a few weeks away. Of course my dear Michigan weather definitely has time to switch and, chances are, we’ll still be bundled up in layers under those costumes come Halloween night. But, for now, I’m having a hard time focusing on getting things ready for Halloween! YIKES!

One of our Halloween traditions is our “Candy Trade-In”.

Here’s the thing, my kids absolutely adore dressing up in their costume and trick-or-treating around the neighborhood with our friends. The whole night is full of giggles and laughter. But my kids don’t really eat the candy. Sure, they’ll eat a piece or two that night and we’ll save a few of their favorites for the following days or weeks, but the bulk of the candy just won’t get eaten in our house.

So, instead of having the candy sit in our cupboards for the next 10 months, we do a “Candy Trade-In”. The concept is simple: The kids trade-in their bags of candy for other things they’ll enjoy more. Some years we might offer a candy-to-toy trade or candy-to-DVD trade, but most years it’s a candy-to-book trade. And that has, by far, been their favorite kind of trade!

So, that’s where me needing to focus on Halloween comes into play! I need to be ready for that “Candy Trade-In” with some fun new books! And it’s always fun to offer them some Halloween-themed books!

This year we found an assortment of fun Halloween-themed books from Sky Pony Press:

 

Bella Donna: Coven Road by Ruth Symes

The first in the Bella Donna series, Coven Road introduces us to Bella Donna, a sweet little girl who doesn’t dream of being a princess like the other little girls, but dreams of being a witch. After living in an orphanage and waiting for her forever family, Bella Donna finally meets and agrees to move in with Lilith Sorciere and her nice, Verity.

Keeping her witchy dreams to herself, Bella Donna begins to uncover some interesting things on Coven Road. Maybe she doesn’t have to keep her dreams a secret after all!

Bella Donna: Coven Road is a fun read for ages 7 to 10.

The Runaway Pumpkin by Anne Margaret Lewis

You guys! This one is adorable. And sweet. And I have no doubt you will love this one! Inspired by the beloved classic The Runaway Bunny, The Runaway Pumpkin: A Halloween Adventure Story follows a little pumpkin who is ready to set out on his Halloween night adventure. Flying on a witch’s broom, haunted houses, dancing with monsters, costume contests…he has a whole night of adventure planned! And, as he’s telling his mom all about what he’ll do, she’s there to encourage him and offer him support to make his night the best. She’ll pack him his best monster dancing shoes, his blankie (just in case), a parachute for the broom ride, etc.

But the sweetest part is in the illustrations. You just have to pick up the book to see 🙂

 

Perfect for ages 3 to 6, although I think all ages will love this one!

Ava the Monster Slayer by Lisa Maggiore

When her beloved Piggy is left in the dryer down in the basement and no one is available to help her, Ava steps into her best superhero costume, musters up the bravery and goes to work on her rescue mission! But this is the basement after all…it’s dark…and where there’s dark, there’s monsters!

Ava the Monster Slayer shows kids that sometimes you just need to strap on that bravery and take care of business! A fun read with energetic illustrations, Ava the Monster Slayer is a great read for ages 3-6. But, if your little one already has a fear of monsters, you might want to check it out before reading it at bedtime.

 

I Want to Eat Your Books by Karin Lefrank and Tyler Parker

This one is such a fun read! The rhythmic story follows along as a zombie comes strolling into to school. But this isn’t any ordinary zombie! This zombie is after one thing and one thing only….devouring books! Books, books and more books! And when the book-eating zombie catches a whiff of the school library, the kids need to act quickly to save the books!

This one is a really fun read for little ones! They’ll love the illustrations of the zombie eating the books and will be on the edge of their seats as they learn how the kids in the story save their books, befriend a zombie and even a mummy! I really loved this one because it’s not scary for little ones (ages 3-6)!

Check out these titles and more at SkyPonyPress.com and look for these fun Halloween books at your local book sellers.

Oh, and I forgot to mention what we do with all that Halloween candy! No, I don’t hide it away to eat it all myself (although I do keep a few of the chocolate bars around). We donate most of it to our school to use in their holiday parades for tossing out from the parade floats 🙂 So, I’m sure we end up with some of it again…

Do you have any fun Halloween traditions you’re looking forward to this year or Halloween-themed books you love to share with your kids?