Great halloween books for a toddler!

Halloween can be a fun and exciting time for children, though maybe a little confusing for the younger child who is just beginning to grasp the basics of this holiday.

Is is important to keep them excited, but not overwhelmed, and for them to enjoy the fun without getting too spooked....so what better that using the medium of books to educate in a safe and secure manner, where they can explore concepts that may become familiar to them which will help a toddler enjoy the festivities even more!

Here is a look at 10 books that are fun, your child will enjoy and they can learn all about this holiday before the big day arrives!!

10 Trick or Treaters!

I am going to start with my personal favorite!!

10 trick or treaters by Janet Schulman is a great halloween book - not only does it explore traditional halloween costumes such a trick or treat, dressing up and spooky characters, it is a counting book!! We start with a group of 10 children out for a night of halloween fun, and one by one they are scared off, to leave one! I should point out that the characters in this book are very whimsical and by no means scary, so toddlers will find this amusing and not too intense! The colors are bold, bright and intense, which will really grab the attention of a younger reader; and the text is simple, rhyming and delightful! A real winner as children will learn about halloween and counting all in one fun book!!

Halloween Bugs: A trick or treat pop up book.

Halloween Bugs: A trick or treat pop up book  is a delightful book for the baby through preschool demographic. A short book - just 14 pages, it is just the right length to keep the younger reader entertained - as is the pop up concept behind each door!! Children will love exploring the creature  - a halloween bug, that lies behind each page - while also learning some very basic halloween ideas, though the book is more about bugs than things we would traditionally expect in  a halloween story!! The author is renowned for saving the best surprise until last...and in tha respect, this book does not dissapointed! if you are looking for something fun that is more about visuals than text in order to entertain....then this is a book for you!!

Scratch and Sniff: Halloween board book!

I though it would be fun and beneficial to provide all types of books within this guide - something for everyone, so now we have looked at counting and pop ups...why not this: Scratch and Sniff: Halloween Board Book! Yes, a scented guide to halloween....12 pages for again , the very youngest of audiences! This book not only shows you some funny  halloween icons....but invites you to sniff them too!! We bought this book last year and you may be glad to hear that the scent really does remain which is important as it is integral to the book!! The smells are pleasant never bad such as the Witches brew, and children will love this unique approach to introducing halloween and its icons, or rather its smells!

Touch and Feel Halloween.

Touch and Feel Halloween is another great idea for this spooky season! These types of books are particularly useful for babies through young toddlers are they start to develop their sense of touch! It is a short book with traditional halloween colors and icons - the pictures are vibrant and have a patch a child can touch in order to explore different textures! For example - a pumpkin or the fur of a black cat!! This book is very cute but I think suitable for only the very youngest children, once they get past 2 or their third birthday, this book may have lost its appeal....but great for simple a simple halloween introduction for babies!!

The Spooky Smells of Halloween.

Maybe its just the season that tends to inspire more scented books - so here is another: The Spooky Smells of Halloween by Mary Man-King. Designed for the 4-8 year old age group, I also think this has toddler appeal! It explores very traditional halloween traditions such as making halloween cookies and bobbing for apples...then intense the appeal by also providing scents to the illustrations!! The scents are strong and nearly all appealing....I say nearly, as this is the second book (the first being Tails by Matthew Van Fleet) that has a scratch and sniff skunk....only this one is more intense!! Still, kids will find this amusing and the book has lots to keep them entertained, while expanding upon the pumpkin and witch imagery!! A fun book!!

The Ultimate halloween sticker book.

Another different approach to halloween - The Ultimate Halloween Sticker Book - is a highly interactive book  - not about reading, but still a guide to halloween ideas. It contains a wealth of stickers of traditional spooky icons such as pumpkins, bats, witches and brooms which children can wither use in their own project or get creative with the scenes includes in the book - which are detailed backgrounds, just calling for the addition of some spooky stickers!! This is for 4-8 year olds but smaller children will have fun with this too!

I'm not afraid of halloween.

A cute little book for the baby through pre school demographic.I'm not afraid of Halloween is a short and sweet 16 pages of whimsical illustrations and rhyming text! We join a bunch of trick or treaters as the knock on each door  - children will love the fact that they get to open the door (life the flap) and see which spooky creature lives in the house! This book is funny and surprising....behind each door the character gets progressively spookier (but never scary) having no effect on our brave trick or treater....but in a hysterical twist....you will not beleive just what does spook him!!! A great book which our toddler loves to read over and over again!!

Dora's spooky halloween.

We cannot go through a list of halloween books without including some of childrens most favorite and beloved character....so here we haveDora's Spooky Halloween!! A cute little book which is one of several Dora Halloween titles. One sure way to get your child engaged in reading is to find a book that centers around their favorite character and every popular childhood icon has their own seasonal book! In this book we help Dora find her costume (there is also a title for older children in which Boots - her friend needs help choosing his outfit!!) Lots of bright illustrations and typical Dora characters make this book a true treat for fans of this series!!

Sams First Halloween

This is a cute little book intended to get the slightly older child reading.. Sam's First Halloween is a simple book with more emphasis on text than bright bold illustrations that can draw a childs attention away from practicing with the words! It features a little dog called Sam who is out to get himself his own treat this halloween; with simple not scary halloween ideas such as a pumpkin or trick and treat! The story is delightful and different from other books on the market so children are sue to enjoy the read!

Too many pumpkins

This is a great book with delightful illustrations which is what encouraged us to pick it off the shelf and bring it home!Too many pumpkinsis designed for 4-8 year olds, with traditional fall colors in a complete look at that halloween icon - The Pumpkin! This book is great for the child that might not be ready or indeed a fan of some of the spookier aspects of Halloween.  It features a little girl that changes over the course of a year from hating to liking pumpkins...but when one falls in her yard, she covers it giving no more thought....but of course pumpkins have seeds and the following fall she finds herself with more of these gourds that she knows what to do with!! This is a wonderful look at all the things a pumpkin cna be and is for me, a great celebration of fall as well as a truely alternative look at a halloween icon!

In summary

As you can see , the books available run the gambit - from pop up, to scratch and sniff, from spooky to sweet, from stickers to stories. You are sure to find something tha appeals to you as the reader, and your toddler  - as someone who is not only enjoying books, but using them as a guide to another and indeed fun experience they will get to know and love!! Enjoy!!