I won’t go so far as to say that Halloween is my favorite holiday, but I certainly do enjoy it! As a kid, I always looked forward to the excuse to dress up in costume and eating copious amounts of candy – no matter the time or day of week – because it was “special”. This was all harmless fun, of course, until our Miniature Schnauzer, Hilda, started sneaking into my room and chewing up my stash. Yup, she devoured everything from my Butterfingers to bubblegum. She did not discriminate. When you have to worry about your dog eating your treats, for a kid, this adds a whole world of stress that just doesn’t need to ever be associated with Halloween.
Anyway. My thieving dog didn’t totally destroy my love of this spooky day. The most powerful reason as to why Halloween is so wonderful, in my opinion, is that it lands smack dab in the middle of Autumn, which is my favorite season. The air is crisp, the trees are changing color, hay rides, pumpkins, and apple cider are in season. What is there not to love?
Also, as with any holiday, there are special books! For kids, it appears as though all favorite characters get their own Halloween special. Here are some of my favorites:
Clifford’s First Halloween by Norman Bridwell
Find on Amazon.
There’s really not much to say about this one. Baby Clifford is ADORABLE. And watching his Halloween antics unfold before your eyes is ADORABLE.
Berentain Bears – Trick or Treat by Stan & Jan Berenstain
Find on Amazon.
In addition to the fact that my family read to me regularly when I was a child, I would have to say that I thank the Berenstain Bears for my love of reading. I adore this series – the characters, the stories, and the illustrations. Everything about these books is perfect and I look forward to sharing these stories with my kids someday.
Little Critter: Happy Halloween, Little Critter! by Mercer Mayer
Find on Amazon.
Little Critter was another favorite series of mine from childhood. And this Halloween special includes lift-the-flap surprises! How spooky!
And for the pre-teens and teens, we have R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps and Fear St. Perfectly scary reads for the Halloween season — or all year round, if you’re into creeping yourself out and/or a freak and totally into the macabre like me.
Find R. L. Stine on Amazon.
So, Halloween isn’t only an excellent excuse to eat all of the candy that you want (no matter how guilty you might feel afterward), but also a good excuse to enjoy some fun, spooky, and, sometimes scary, books! What scary books do you like to read around this time of year?
No Other Appetite 