The Elementary Bookworm

5 Halloween Books Your Kids Will LOVE!

Who loves to read to their students??

((Waves hand wildly in the air))

Who loves to read books the same books to their students that they heard last year?

—-Insert awkward silence.—-

Seriously. Is there anything that takes the wind out of your sails more?? You have a book you’re SO excited to share with your kiddos, only to hear…

“We read that last year!”

Awesome.

After a couple of lessons like this, I made it my goal to have a collection of seasonal books that my students hadn’t read before.I also included their familiar favorites in my classroom library, but I did my best to make sure I had original read-alouds for my lessons!

So today, I’d love to share a few of my October favorites with you. Click on any of the pictures below to learn a little bit more about each book.

http://amzn.to/1OzIUUG
I love using this book to teach students about schema, misconceptions, and adding in new information from the books we read. Halloween can be full of misconceptions in our classrooms, and Gail Gibbons does a beautiful job of relaying factual information about this time of year. It is a longer text, so I would caution you not to try and read it all in one sitting with your kids. If you’re looking for a shorter text, she also has a book called Halloween that is much simpler and more appropriate for K-2 students.

http://amzn.to/1OzJyBM
Hands down, this is my favorite chapter book to read aloud to my kiddos during the month of October. I am a BIG FAN of the Herdmans and their antics. There are 2 other books about the Herdmans – The Best Worst School Year Ever and The Best Worst Christmas Pageant Ever. Classics, but luckily my kids had never heard of them until they came to me! 🙂


http://amzn.to/1QFOQt4
This is not a book for teachers who do not enjoy reading aloud. So I am pretending that those teachers do not exist. I’m pretty sure I became a teacher just so I could read to my kiddos! This is such a fun story to read out loud – lots of rhyme, dialogue, and rhythm. Dig in!!
http://amzn.to/1RhDQCb
This is definitely one of my top 2 favorites for October. I really love that I can tie it into the 7 Habits – Begin With the End in Mind and Synergize. It’s also great for teaching students about character traits, motivations, and actions. My only “sad trombone” for this book is that I *think* it’s out of print. I’ve always been able to grab copies from Amazon for pretty cheap when I need them. It is definitely a well-loved, well-read book in our room! 
http://amzn.to/1RhE1NJ
Last, but not least, my absolute favorite! The Ugly Pumpkin!! I seriously cannot wait to read this to my kids every year. In fact, I’m already bothering my friends to let me come and read it to their classes this year. The last page makes me belly laugh every year. I love that because this story starts after Halloween has happened, you can use this book through the first few days of November. It’s a great book with lots of opportunities to discuss compassion, friendship, and empathy!
I also have a pack from last year I made that goes perfectly with it! 
 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Ugly-Pumpkin-A-Common-Core-Book-Companion-968618
Click me to see more!

There are lots of response options for character traits, character actions, and summaries. There are also lots of activities you can use to boost vocabulary – mystery phrase (word scramble), rhyming words, and more! There’s even a writing activity and matching craft. Click on the picture above to check it out!

I hope you’ve found at least one new fun title to try in your room in the days ahead! Let me know if you have a new title I might need to add to my Amazon wishlist!! 🙂

Comments

  1. Collaboration Cuties says

    Hi Abby,

    Wow! I haven't heard of most of those books, so I am super excited to read them!!!! I love finding new seasonal books, and these look awesome! I can't wait to check them out- they are heading on my Amazon wishlist or possibly straight into my cart! 🙂

    Thank you!
    Stacia 🙂
    Collaboration Cuties

  2. Abby says

    Thanks so much!! I had a hard time going through my Halloween book stash and only choosing 5!! 🙂

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