Halloween was my favorite holiday growing up. No doubt about it. Every year my sister and I created killer haunted houses in our basement (Blindfolds, grapes, red food colouring, cooked noodles and vaseline… that’s all you need people- I swear). All of our friends came over after school and my mom threw the best halloween party any kid could imagine. After make-up and costuming, we would pile into the station wagon, and before heading into the happening hamlet of Schomberg, Ontario, we hit up all of the old farmer’s wives on our concession for embarrassingly generous offerings of treats (when you only get 3 kids at your door each Halloween, there is no place for stingyness).
Now, I am a city chick. But we live on the COOLEST street in Toronto when Halloween rolls around. Each year, a few houses down from us, a Halloween musical is performed by neighborhood adults and kids on a front lawn (stage, props, lights… last year a huge tv screen so that people could see from down the street). The show runs 3 times on Halloween night, and everyone who is anyone comes over to our place to check it out and to drink beer and eat pizza, skittles and wunderbars on the front porch. Naturally, I am a firm believer in Halloween kitsch. This year, our newest friend is a sparkly Halloween spider night-light. Who could resist?
But books… yes books (that’s what matters here). Below is a list of fab Halloween picture books – some spooky, some funny – all will get you ready for the big night.
The Highwayman (Visions in Poetry) – Alfred Noyes and Murray Kimber
The Follower – Richard Thompson
Hallowiener – Dav Pilkey
Slinky Malinky – Lynley Dodd
The Widow’s Broom – Chris Van Allsburg
Boris and Bella – Carolyn Crimi
Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich – Adam Rex
Go Away Big Green Monster – Ed Emberley
The Graves Family – Patricia Polacco
Leonardo the Terrible Monster – Mo Willems
The House that Drac Built – Judy Sierra
Winnie the Witch – Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul
Wolves in the Walls – Neil Gaiman
BOO!
Shelf Elf: read, write, rave. 
