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Something about Halloween makes even a familiar place feel off. We start with a petty, funny argument about masks and why we bother with costumes when we can literally shapeshift, then we pivot into what we came to do: share Halloween kids book recommendations you can actually use for story time, bedtime, or a classroom read-aloud.

We run through a tight stack of Halloween picture books, including Room on a Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the delightfully unsettling “Creepy” set by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown (Creepy Crayon, Creepy Carrots, and Creepy Pair of Underwear, with a Caldecott Honor flex), plus lighter picks like Pete the Cat Five Little Pumpkins and Pete the Cat Trick or Treat. Then we talk about The Skull by Jon Klassen, a quick read that proves you can keep things simple and still land a serious spooky mood.

And then the studio fights back. A loud crash. Nobody around. A creeping feeling that the lot is not as empty as it should be. As we try to close up and leave, we end up relying on the same thing the best Halloween stories rely on: staying connected when the atmosphere turns. If you love Halloween books, children’s literature, and the strange comfort of getting scared on purpose, this one is for you.

Subscribe, share the show with a fellow Halloween reader, and leave a review. What’s the one book that still gives you the creeps?