By Christa Protano
Twinkling lights, lots of decorations, tasty treats, a special playlist. Its official: Halloween is the new Christmas. I’m not sure if its because both my children have reached such a fun age, or if its because 2020 has been less than stellar, but it seems like Halloween is bigger this year than ever before. Houses are donning more spooky spotlights and spiderwebs. We’ve been planning our costumes and a little socially-distant soiree with close friends for weeks. We even just finished decorating a haunted gingerbread house. And just like the holidays, we also have a collection of Halloween-theme books we like to flip through during this time. Check out these frightfully friendly reads to get you and your family in the spooky spirit.
For infants and newborns, Who Said Boo? introduces little ones to all the not-so-scary creature sounds of Halloween. This 10-page board book includes colorful die-cuts, touch and feel elements, a surprise mirror, and peek through flaps to keep those tiny hands and minds engaged during story time.
This Book is Haunted! A Halloween Joke & Activity Book
My school-aged kids are total jokesters right now (thank you, Fozzie Bear), and this book is helping them get more laughs all season long. What do ghosts chew? What do you call a monster neighbor? Discover the punchlines to these age-appropriate wisecracks and more, along with pages of spot-the-difference and seek-and-find activities.
This pop-up board book takes the Halloween fun up a notch with silly rhymes that focus on counting and basic colors. As friendly monsters lurk beneath the bed and in the attic, 3- to 5-year olds will get a kick out of flipping open their toothy grins to reveal what’s inside.
Beyond the Book
Did I mention tasty treats? This year, we seem to be baking a sugar cookie for every holiday, and Halloween is no exception. This cookie dough recipe can easily be adapted all yearlong. All you need are Halloween-themed cookie cutters and the appropriate icing colors.
Looking for something a little less labor-intensive? Grab a box of Duncan Hines and whip up these super-easy cupcakes sure to win you mummy of the year (wink, wink).