HALLOWEEN!!!!

Just saying the word Halloween makes me a little giddy! :)  Other people may not agree with our idea, but our Halloween story time basically became our monster theme.

Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley.  I mean, COME ON.  Could you really do monsters without doing this book?  It's the best!  So much interaction with the kids, it's ridiculous.  I love it.

Over in the Hollow by Rebecca Dickinson. So you covered colors with Green Monster, now you can do numbers!  And sing!  And make scary noises! You know the old song Over in the Meadow, well just apply it to this.  But it has mummies, vampires, spiders, and werewolves.  I love it!

Trick or Treat Countdown by Patricia Hubbard.  Ok, another counting book - I know.  This one you don't have to sing, and it's not as long.  You can still make all sorts of scary sounds and motions.  I especially love the fact that it emphasizes that all the things it mentions - skeletons, witches, werewolves, etc. are all make-believe on Halloween.  You'll love it - just be creative!

The Three Bears' Halloween by Kathy Duval.  Whenever I do one of Kathy Duval's new 3 Bears stories, I always review the classic one with the kids first.  Sometimes - as with the Christmas one - it tricks some of them into believing it's Goldilocks the whole time.  Other times, it doesn't work, and they insist it's a witch the whole time - like with this one.  It's the same formula as the classic, just updated for a different holiday.  

My Beastly Brother by Laura Leuck.  Pretty much just a book about how brothers are, but with monsters.  The kid goes through all the ways his brother tortures him, but he's really there when it matters most.  It mentions underwear, so of course kids giggle at that.

Crankenstein by Samantha Berger. While *teeeechnically* not a monster book, we still used this one this past year.  Working with kids, we ALL know a Crankenstein when we see one, and this made the parents laugh as much as the children.  The children enjoyed making the "Meeerrrgh" noises more.  I have to say, now that I've been doing this for 5 years, I'm identifying favorite authors/illustrators more, and Dan Santat is def. one of them!

Vampirina Ballerina by Anne Marie Pace and Zombelina by Kristyn Crow.  Look at how cute these are!!! I think I ordered these after Halloween last year, so I didn't get to use them, and they're probably too long for preschool, but elementary age might enjoy them.  They make the little goth part of my heart smile.

The Hallo-wiener by Dav Pilkey.  Not really a monster book, but we do it at Halloween, so it needs to be mentioned.  It's too long for me to use with my younger children, but the elementary age loves it.  Of course, it's about a dog who gets picked on, but in the end, it's the very reason he gets picked on that saves everyone.  Who doesn't love Dav Pilkey?

Where's My Shoggoth? by Ian Thomas.  If you're a fan of the Old Ones, this is the book for you.  I can't say that I'd EVER use it in story time, but it is one heck of a cool book!  It features a lot of Lovecraft's creatures in these fantastic illustrations by Adam Bolton and the rhymes in it are great!

Wow!  SO many monster/Halloween books, and I'm sure I could name TONS more.  Seriously.  Favorite holiday!  I don't really do a fingerplay or song with this one (other than my regular opener and get-up-and-move in the middle).  A several of the books are so interactive, I don't really feel as pressured to do so.  HOWEVER, if you *really* want one, there's always 5 Little Pumpkins.

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate

The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late!"

The second one said, "There are witches in the air!"

The third one said, "But we don't care!"

The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run"

The fifth one said, "Isn't Halloween fun?"

Then Ooooooooh went the wind 

And out went the lights 

And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.