I know Halloween’s likely to be different this year than any Halloween we’ve had. If you’re staying in or looking for non-trick-or-treating ways to celebrate the holiday, why not read some spooky books together with the family? These slightly scary picture books are fun reads to make any night a little spooky and a lot special. And bonus – since they’re not explicitly about Halloween, we just might still have them on the shelves this week. You can place holds for pickup at the New Albany Library (inside on the upper level or curbside pickup) or the Galena Digital Branch.
Beware of the Frog by William Bee. Sweet old Mrs. Collywobbles lives on the edge of a big, dark, scary wood, but has a pet frog to protect her from greedy goblins, smelly trolls, and hungry ogres. Slightly scary.
The Dark by Lemony Snicket. Laszlo is afraid of the dark. The dark is not afraid of Laszlo. Laszlo lives in a house. The dark lives in the basement. One night, the dark comes upstairs to Laszlo’s room, and Laszlo goes down to the basement. This is the story of how Laszlo stops being afraid of the dark. Slightly scary.
Frankencrayon by Michael Hall. If the crayons cannot stop the scribble monster, this picture book and the play “Frankencrayon” may have to be canceled. Not scary.
Sir Simon: Super Scarer by Cale Atkinson. Meet Sir Simon, Super Scarer. He’s a professional ghost who has been transferred to his first house. And just in time! He was getting tired of haunting bus stops and forests and potatoes. And to top it off, this house is occupied by an old lady — they’re the easiest to haunt! But things don’t go as planned when it turns out a KID comes with this old lady. Not scary.
The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt. A classic poem about a spiders who preys on the innocence and vanity of a little fly. Slightly scary.
The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman. Lucy hears sneaking, creeping, crumpling noises coming from inside the walls. She is sure there are wolves living in the walls of her house. But, as everybody says, if the wolves come out of the walls, it’s all over.
Zombie in Love by Kelly DiPucchio. Mortimer is looking for love. And he’s looking everywhere He’s worked out at the gym (if only his arm wouldn’t keep falling off). He’s tried ballroom dancing lessons (but the ladies found him to be a bit stiff). He’s even been on stalemate.com. How’s a guy supposed to find a ghoul? When it seems all hope has died, could the girl of Mortimer’s dreams be just one horrifying shriek away? A little gross, but not scary.
