Life
20 Children's Books About Witches That Will Ensure You Have A Happy Halloween
One unexpected thing that I actually enjoy the most about being a mom is being able to take my son to the bookstore to pick out books depending on the season, month, or holiday. When he was 4 months old, I purchased Five Black Cats by Patricia Hegarty for Halloween, and it's still one of our favorite books. This year, I'm excited to add a collection of children's books about witches for our Halloween bookshelf.
Whether you need a fun picture book, a more advanced book for new little readers, or a chapter book for your elementary aged kids, this list of children's book about witches has a little something for every kid — until they're old enough to read Harry Potter and learn about the best witch of all, that is. (Hermione Granger, duh.) But until then, these super fun books about witches will happily and spookily take up real estate on your kids' bookshelf. And on the plus side, these books are so fun, you'll actually enjoy reading them over and over again, which you know you'll do since kids are gonna "kid," if you know what I mean. In fact, just before signing on for my shift, I read Five Black Cats to my son about seven times. No exaggeration. And he's still currently trying to get me to read it to him again now. I'm sure he'll be just as excited about one of these books on witches.
1. 'Room On The Broom' by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Room on the Broom is a "bouncy" fun story about a witch who loses her hat, bow, and wand, and "three helpful animals" help her retrieve the missing items, according to the description. They want to ride on her broom for their reward, but is there enough room on the broom?
2. 'The Witches' by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quenten Blake
Roald Dahl is still one of my favorite authors to this day, and The Witches doesn't disappoint. Amazon reviews of the book praise Dahl's work for not being dismissive to children, and the zaniness and strangeness of Dahl's imagination definitely shines through here. The story is about a kid whose grandma loves to tell him stories about real witches, and then one day "he comes face-to-face with The Grand High Witch herself," according to the description.
3. 'The Clever Little Witch' by Lieve Baeten, illustrated by Wietse Fossey
According to the description, The Clever Little Witch is about a young witch named Lizzie who finds a suspicious suitcase in front of her house. No matter what spells she throws its way, it just won't open. So she has to come up with a lot of clever ways to try to open the suitcase if she wants to find out what's in there.
4. 'Boo-La-La Witch Spa' by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Isabel Roxas
What do witches do after Halloween, their busiest workday of the year? Go to the Boo-La-La Witch Spa of course. The description shares that the witches in Boo-La-La Witch Spa indulge in "Bat-Whisker Tea, Broom Bristle Facials, and other spooky spa goodies."
5. 'Which Witch Is Which' by Pat Hutchins
Twins Ella and Emily who dress like witches for a Halloween-themed birthday party are pretty hard to tell apart. Can you help figure out which witch is which based on their choices of food, games, and colors? Which Witch Is Which is a great book for kids in pre-K and up.
6. 'Little Witch’s Big Night' by Deborah Hautzig, illustrated by Marc Brown
Little Witch's Big Night is a perfect witchy book for kids who are beginning to read by themselves. In this story, the little witch is being punished for being too good and has to stay home on Halloween. She then gives lucky trick-or-treaters rides on her broomstick.
7. 'Winnie The Witch' by Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul
Witches and black cats just go together like peanut butter in Reese's. In Winnie and Wilbur: Winnie the Witch, Wilbur acts like every other cat on this planet — he's always under his owner's feet and trips her. She tries a bunch of spells to make Wilbur stand out so she doesn't step on him, and she finally finds the perfect way to make sure he's always visible.
8. 'Humbug Witch' by Lorna Balian
Originally published in 1965, Humbug Witch tells the story about a witch who just can't seem to cast her spells right. Everything keeps going wrong, but she keeps trying, darn it. Sound like me as a witch, TBH.
9. 'The Widow's Broom' by Chris Van Allsburg
The Widow's Broom is a book for kids ages pre-K through 5th grade, and it is written by Caldecott Medal-winning author Chris Van Allsburg, so you know it's going to be good. It's about a widow who finds a mysterious broom left by a witch who fell into her garden. Sounds pretty spooky and perfect for Halloween reading to me.
10. 'The Witches' Supermarket' by Susan Meddaugh
The Witches' Supermarket is a hilarious book about a girl named Helen and her dog who is begrudgingly dressed as a cat. They wind up at a supermarket on Halloween night that is only for witches and cats. Can they remain undercover so the manager doesn't find out?
11. 'Only A Witch Can Fly' by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
Who doesn't wish they could fly? Well, a little girl wants to more than anything in Only A Witch Can Fly, so she grabs her cat and a broom and tries and tries and tries, until something miraculous happens.
12. 'It's Raining Bats & Frogs' by Rebecca Colby, illustrated by Steven Henry
In It's Raining Bats & Frogs, a local witch tries to save a Halloween Parade when rain is on the horizon. All of her spells are silly and this book will get a lot of laughs.
13. 'The Sweetest Witch Around' by Alison McGhee and Harry Bliss
A companion to A Very Brave Witch, The Sweetest Witch Around isn't what it may seem from the title. A witch's sweet tooth leads to lots of Halloween mischief in this fun Halloween story.
14. 'Happy Halloween, Witch's Cat!' by Harriet Muncaster
Happy Halloween, Witch's Cat is above and beyond your normal picture book, because author-illustrator Harriet Muncaster created miniature three-dimensional scenes using paper, foil, fabric, and other materials before photographing them for this story, according to the description. The story is pretty magical, too, about a girl who believes her mother is a good witch and she is a special witch's cat.
15. 'Seeking A Witch' by Angela DiTerlizzi, illustrated by Allie Smith
Seeking a Witch is a super cute board book about two trick-or-treaters in search of the perfect witch.
16. 'The Night Before Halloween' by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Cynthia Fisher
We already have The Night Before Christmas, so of course we also need The Night Before Halloween, right? While the witch in this story isn't front and center, it's still a perfect Halloween story to read the night before Halloween.
17. 'The Only Thing Worse Than Witches' by Lauren Magaziner
The Only Thing Worse Than Witches is a chapter book appropriate for 4th through 6th graders. Kirkus Reviews says main character Rupert lives in a world "that combines Roald Dahl’s Witches and Louis Sachar’s Wayside School ... readers will banish themselves from the ordinary world to finish this book in a flash." Roald Dahl and Wayside School? You bet I'm buying this when my kid's old enough to read it.
18. 'Evie And The Truth About Witches' by John Martz
In Evie and the Truth About Witches, Evie actually wants to be scared, but she finds out the "truth about witches, and she didn't find it in a book," according to the description.
19. 'Skeleton For Dinner' by Margery Cuyler, illustrated by Will Terry
Skeleton for Dinner is a hilarious book about misunderstandings. "Big Witch and Little Witch" made stew, so they make a guest list of all their friends they want to invite to dinner. Their friend Skeleton mistakes the guest list for the menu and he takes off running.
20. 'Strega Nona' by Tomie dePaola
Our family loves books by Tomie dePaola. In fact, Jack's Italian grandmother "Noni" purchases them for him as birthday and holiday gifts. They're beautifully illustrated and always have a unique and interesting story. Strega Nona — which means "Grandma Witch" — is about, what else? A giant magical pasta pot. Unfortunately it worked too well and created way too much pasta, all thanks to a guy named Big Anthony who is supposed to help Strega Nona with chores. Find out what Big Anthony's "punishment" is for messing with Strega Nona's magical pasta pot in this classic story that won a Caldecott Honor in 1976.
