Happy October, everyone! Happy pumpkin spice, costume hunts, and candy purchasing! To be honest, I put next to no thought into Halloween between the years I dressed up as a kid and the years I get to dress up my kids. I grew up doing the trick-or-treat thing, but I don’t recall major decorating, and I’ve always hated being scared (my brother can attest to this, as I never liked playing hide-and-go-seek with him!).
Once I got to dress up my little precious, well, everything changed. Hmm, well, I still don’t really decorate, except that we buy a pumpkin every year (what bad parents DON’T get the ceremonial kid-in-the-pumpkin-patch photo? Heavens!). For George’s first Halloween, I had set in my mind he needed to be a dinosaur. I found the perfect costume on a local Facebook resell group. However, he, of course, started walking like a week before Halloween, so I asked my mom to cut the feet out of the costume and sew in elastic bands so he could wear shoes (Mama + sewing = a scary situation. And I just told you how I feel about scary situations).
Last year, I was HUUUGELY pregnant—so much so that I was desperately hoping waddling around the neighborhood trick or treating would induce labor. No such luck. Olivia sassily stayed put for another week. Boo. I decided to go easy on the Halloween costume last year. George won’t keep a hat or sunglasses on for more than two seconds, so I knew (know) that masks and head accouterments were (and continue to be) out of the question. We took George to a meet-the-characters Disney breakfast that month, so I was busily indoctrinating him with Winnie-the-Pooh characters so he’d be excited when Tigger made his rounds. Therefore, I logically deduced George should be Christopher Robin for Halloween. Yellow polo shirt? Blue shorts? One sock up, one sock down? Check, check, check. We bought a Pooh bear and a red balloon to complete the ensemble. Today, when I yank his yellow polo shirt over his giant head, he still tells me he looks like Christopher Robin. Presh.
This year, I want something clever, but recognizable. A homeowner at one of the houses we visited last year asked if George was a “businessman,” which made me sad, as he was clearly a small, British boy with imaginary friends, most of all, Winnie the Pooh!
To feed George’s obsession with the United States and due to Olivia’s lack of verbal opinion, they’re going to be Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty. I don’t think I’ll be able to convince George to wear a fake beard, but I HOPE I can get him to don the top hat. Keeping a tiara on Olivia’s head will be a whole other story.
Until that day…
Here are some fun, not-too-scary Halloween books for you to peruse. My advice? Hit up your library immediately. I’m always too late for holiday books, so my son gets to hear Christmas books in about February. True story.
Halloween books are listed by age-appropriateness, according to yours truly.
Baby’s First Halloween – This book is exceedingly boring (one picture, one word per page), but George loved it. Plus, it inspired his very first, independent animal sound (hoo hoo!).
Where is Baby’s Pumpkin? by Karen Katz – This book won’t win any awards for cleverness, but George loooved flap books when he was smaller. Olivia is no exception.
Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills – Warning! The title is a spoiler! Two silly, little birds (a duck and goose, obvs) try to find a pumpkin. Board book, good for chewing.
Ten Orange Pumpkins: A Counting Book by Stephen Savage – Frankly, I just like how this man conceptualizes artwork. Also, he commented on Instagram on my last post including one of his books, so I’m now going to fangirl every time I write about Mr. Savage. This is a spooky-lite book that shows all of the different Halloween creatures utilizing pumpkins in different ways. I am very curious how a ghost can bake a pumpkin pie…
Five Little Monkeys Trick-or-Treat by Eileen Christelow – If you can handle Mama Monkey’s lackadaisical attitude on parenting (I’m not a fan…), this is a cute, comical trick-or-treat saga.
Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle – Oh, y’all. If you haven’t discovered Little Blue Truck, you make me sad (great book for a boy baby shower, IMO). This holiday version includes flaps and gorgeous artwork.
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds – I got a little nervous partway through that the book would be too scary for George. What parent wants their child to be afraid of a vegetable? However, he ended up thinking the story is funny, so win!
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson – A cute story about being helpful and caring for each other. I’m not a fan of the whole witches, demons, zombie situation around Halloween, but this is a cartoon-y approach that really works.
Turkey Trick or Treat by Wendi Silvano – Turkey (an actual turkey) and his barnyard friends try to score some candy on Halloween by having Turkey dress up like different characters. George loves this book. When I finished reading it, my husband said, “At least Halloween came before Thanksgiving that year!” Sigh. Dad jokes.
Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi – This one is a little too old for George, but super cute, especially for girls, I’d assume (Olivia isn’t even 1, so I have little to no authority in this area). A man and a woman overcome their differences, find a common enemy, and live happily ever after (with some ghoul drool and maggot muffins in the mix).
Runners-up for older kids: Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex – This bad boy is as quirky as they come.
Goodnight Good: A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex – This is one of those gross boy books, but in a pretty good way.
Do you have any Halloween books your kids love? Please share!