10 Best Halloween Books for 5-Year-Olds: Fun, Spooky & Not Too Scary
Halloween books for 5-year-olds should feel spooky enough to make October exciting—but not so scary that bedtime suddenly becomes a problem.
At this age, I like Halloween books with witches, ghosts, pumpkins, costumes, silly monsters, and just a tiny bit of suspense. Funny stories and colorful illustrations can give kids all the fun of spooky season without becoming genuinely frightening.
If you’re looking for Halloween books for 5-year-olds, these ten picture books are especially good choices for kindergarten-age readers and family read-alouds.
1. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
Best for: A Halloween classic
A friendly witch is flying through the sky when the wind keeps blowing away her belongings. Each time an animal helps her recover something, the animal asks if there’s room to join her on the broom.
Eventually, the broom becomes very crowded—and a hungry dragon enters the story.
Room on the Broom is one of those Halloween books that works because it’s adventurous without being truly frightening. The rhyming text also makes it particularly fun to read aloud.
Penguin Random House recommends the book for ages 3–7, putting a 5-year-old right in the middle of the intended range.
Why a 5-year-old may love it: witches, animals, rhymes, a dragon, friendship, and plenty of repetition.
Scary level: Very mild.
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2. Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown
Best for: Kids who want something actually a little creepy
Jasper Rabbit loves carrots.
Maybe a little too much.
Then he begins thinking the carrots are following him.
Are the carrots really alive—or is Jasper’s imagination getting the better of him?
Creepy Carrots! has the visual style of an old suspense movie, but the story is funny enough to keep the creepiness manageable for younger kids. Simon & Schuster recommends it for ages 4–8, and School Library Journal specifically describes it as age-appropriate horror balanced with comic relief.
Why a 5-year-old may love it: funny scares, a rabbit protagonist, creepy vegetables, and a clever ending.
Scary level: Mildly spooky.
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3. Grumpy Monkey Don’t Be Scared by Suzanne Lang and Max Lang
Best for: Kids who are nervous about Halloween
Jim Panzee and his friends head out into the jungle on Halloween night.
But everything feels different in the dark.
There are strange sounds.
Strange smells.
And possibly something watching them.
This is a particularly nice choice for a child who likes Halloween but is still learning how to handle feeling scared. Penguin Random House recommends it for ages 4–8.
Why a 5-year-old may love it: familiar Grumpy Monkey characters, trick-or-treating, jungle animals, humor, and just enough suspense.
Scary level: Mild.
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4. The Little Witch Who Lost Her Broom! by Elaine Bickell
Best for: A not-too-scary witch story
Halloween is almost here, but Little Witch has a problem.
Her broom is gone.
She searches everywhere and tries all kinds of alternatives—including a scooter, airplane, and bicycle—but nothing seems quite right.
The publisher specifically describes this as a “not-so-scary” Halloween read-aloud and recommends it for ages 4–8.
Why a 5-year-old may love it: a cute witch, rhyming text, searching for the missing broom, and lots of silly transportation attempts.
Scary level: Barely spooky at all.
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5. Mouse’s First Halloween by Lauren Thompson
Best for: A gentle first Halloween book
Mouse heads out on Halloween night and keeps encountering things that initially seem frightening.
But once Mouse takes a closer look, those scary sights and sounds aren’t quite as frightening as they seemed.
Simon & Schuster recommends Mouse’s First Halloween for ages 4–8.
This is probably one of my first choices for a sensitive 5-year-old.
Why a 5-year-old may love it: adorable Mouse, simple suspense, Halloween sights and sounds, and reassuring discoveries.
Scary level: Very gentle.
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6. Little Ghost Makes a Friend by Maggie Edkins Willis
Best for: Cozy Halloween reading
Not every Halloween story needs to be about getting scared.
Little Ghost would like to make a friend, but reaching out to someone new can be intimidating—even when you’re a ghost.
This is really a friendship story wrapped in a cozy Halloween package.
Simon & Schuster recommends it for ages 4–8, and School Library Journal describes it as particularly suited to children who prefer Halloween stories with more treats than tricks.
Why a 5-year-old may love it: cute ghosts, friendship, cozy illustrations, and a reassuring message.
Scary level: Essentially none.
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7. Hap-Pea Halloween by Keith Baker
Best for: Silly Halloween fun
The peas from Keith Baker’s popular picture books are celebrating Halloween.
There are costumes.
There is candy.
And there is plenty of goofy Halloween fun.
Published in 2025, Hap-Pea Halloween is intended for ages 4–8, and the publisher describes it as a playful celebration of kids’ favorite parts of spooky season.
Why a 5-year-old may love it: funny peas, costumes, candy, colorful pictures, and almost no actual scariness.
Scary level: Not scary.
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8. If Your Babysitter Is a Bruja by Ana Siqueira
Best for: Imaginative Halloween fun
A little girl becomes suspicious that her new babysitter might actually be a bruja—a witch.
What follows is a playful story where imagination transforms an ordinary night with a babysitter into something much more magical.
The book includes Spanish words and phrases throughout the story, and Simon & Schuster recommends it for ages 4–8. School Library Journal specifically calls it a strong choice for October reading.
Why a 5-year-old may love it: witches, imagination, colorful Halloween scenes, humor, and bilingual elements.
Scary level: Playfully spooky.
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9. It’s Almost Time for… Halloween! by Maisha Oso
Best for: Getting excited about Halloween
This one is less about being scared and more about the anticipation leading up to Halloween.
The rhyming story revolves around a funny misunderstanding while the characters get ready for spooky season.
Simon & Schuster recommends it for ages 4–8, and School Library Journal calls it a strong classroom read-aloud with lots for children to discover in the illustrations.
Why a 5-year-old may love it: rhymes, humor, Halloween excitement, and pages with lots to look at.
Scary level: Not scary.
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10. Spooky Scouts by Kimberly Shrack
Best for: A new Halloween book for 2026
For something newer, Spooky Scouts was published in August 2026.
It’s a funny picture book about monster scouts that combines spooky-season imagery with themes of friendship, confidence, and accepting yourself.
Simon & Schuster recommends it for ages 4–8, and Booklist specifically calls it a strong fit for a “Spooktober” reading lineup.
Why a 5-year-old may love it: monsters, scouting adventures, humor, colorful Halloween artwork, and friendship.
Scary level: Silly spooky.
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Which Halloween Book Is Best for a 5-Year-Old?
For a child who doesn’t like being scared, I’d start with Mouse’s First Halloween, Little Ghost Makes a Friend, or The Little Witch Who Lost Her Broom!
For a child who wants something a little creepier, try Creepy Carrots! or Grumpy Monkey Don’t Be Scared.
And for a classic Halloween read-aloud, it’s hard to go wrong with Room on the Broom.
Are Halloween Books Too Scary for 5-Year-Olds?
They don’t have to be.
Five is an age where children can have very different reactions to spooky stories. One child may think ghosts and monsters are hilarious while another may become genuinely worried by something that seems harmless to an adult.
That’s why I like Halloween books where the scary element is quickly balanced by humor, friendship, reassurance, or an explanation of what initially seemed frightening.
Every book on this list falls roughly into the preschool-to-early-elementary publisher age ranges, with most officially recommended for ages 4–8.
Halloween Books for Kindergarten Read-Alouds
These books also work particularly well for kindergarten because they’re short enough to read in one sitting and highly visual.
Room on the Broom, Creepy Carrots!, Hap-Pea Halloween, and It’s Almost Time for… Halloween! would all work well as classroom or family read-alouds.
And because Halloween stories naturally generate excitement, they’re also an easy way to encourage kids who aren’t normally eager to sit down with a book.
Final Thoughts
Halloween at age 5 should probably be more pumpkins, costumes, silly ghosts, and candy than nightmares.
The best Halloween books for 5-year-olds capture just enough of that spooky feeling to make October special without taking the fun too far.
If I were putting together a small Halloween bookshelf for this age, I’d start with Room on the Broom for the classic, Creepy Carrots! for the laughs and mild scares, and Little Ghost Makes a Friend for something cozy.
Then I’d let the child decide just how spooky they want to go.
