'Tis the season for spooky books - Picture Book edition

Yep, I'm another person who adores October, Halloween, and all things horror. Seriously, my unofficial motto is "Any excuse to wear a costume!" So I plan to read nothing but horror and supernatural books all month long. And I'll tell you all about them.

But first, over the next few days I plan to share some of my favorite creepy books for different ages. Today is picture books!

The Spooky Box by Mark Gonyea
Gonyea is a graphic designer whose children's books often employee slick, computer-generated designs and a minimalist sensitivity. Sometimes this doesn't work so well for me, but in this case, I love it!

What do you do when a plain black box shows up on your doorstep? What could it possibly contain? Bats? Rats? Spiders? The creepy contents abound. This book is great for using your imagination and detailing all the slithery possibilities. And the ending will either delight or disappoint you.


Frank Was A Monster Who Wanted to Dance by Keith Graves 
This is one of my grosser picks but a funny one. And how appropriate is the author's name!

When Frank gets the urge to dance, he and his monstrous kitty must go to the theater downtown and put on a gruesome dance show. Everything is going great until Frank begins to dance himself into pieces! Rhyming text and exaggerated illustrations make this a fun one for groups or one-on-one.


Socksquatch by Frank W. Dormer
Socksquatch just wants to have two warm feet but he can only find one sock. As he goes from monster to monster he asks the same plaintive question, "Got sock?" Eventually a solution appears but life is still not perfect for our cryptid friend.

This time Graves skews into the cute. I love reading this one aloud and doing the voices. I just wish it was bigger. Maybe scan and use a projector? I'll have to try that some time.

Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds; illustrated by Peter Brown
Jasper loves carrots and he eats them every day. But what happens when the carrots decide to follow him around? What do they have planned? Will they try eating him, too?!

So fun! Also check out A Creepy Pair of Underwear in which Jasper encounters underwear that creeps him out--and keeps returning to his drawer!

In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz; illustrated by Dirk Zimmer

Now this one makes me nostalgic. I remember this as one of my first chapter books, well loved and read over and over. Guess I've always loved scary stories.

Schwartz collects seven classic tales of terror and they are all pretty scary. The ones I remember best are "In a Dark, Dark Room" for the jump factor and "The Green Ribbon" for the ewww factor. Even if it is marketed to young kids, these are some real spooky tales.

 The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Dave McKean

Creepy as only Gaiman can be, this book starts with a pig puppet (you know I have one!) and a girl who hears something in the walls. Sadly, only her pig puppet believes her...until it is too late.

McKean's sketchy illustrates serve to heighten the fear and tension of the story. I've read this one to school-age kids successfully more than once.


Can't forget two classics...

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles Schulz

Probably the best of the picture book adaptations  of the Peanuts holiday specials. The story is awesome and Schulz's illustrations are always great. Linus shines in this story as only he can. I really wanted to wait in the pumpkin patch with him when I was a kid. Charlie Brown keeps trying to kick the football and Lucy keeps pulling it away. And so many wardrobe malfunctions! If nothing else, this is a great story of faith and persistance in the face of everyone else's disbelief.


Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton

Originally written as a poem by Burton in 1982, the story was made into a groundbreaking animated film in 1993. The book version is very similar to the movie, but I actually like the sketchy illustrations in the book even better. They are scary in my opinion and really speak to the heart of a story about searching for identity, trying out new things even when they don't work and accepting yourself as you are. It also makes a great all around seasonal book since it bridges the gap between Halloween and Christmas.

So, what are your favorite creepy picture books?

Next up: Spooky Children's Chapter Books...