This post is all about Halloween read alouds for 2nd grade.

Halloween Read Alouds for 2nd Grade

The excitement and anticipation that children have when it comes to Halloween make it such an enjoyable holiday for me. It is almost as if their excitement is contagious!

The following picture books certainly get me excited about Halloween! 

To make this Halloween a spooky fun time, check out our list of Halloween read alouds for 2nd grade. Whether you are looking for scary stories or just a great book to enjoy together, these books will hit the mark. 

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Halloween Read Alouds for 2nd Grade

1. Scaredy-Cat, Splat!

by Rob Scotton

This Halloween, Splat the cat wants to be the scariest in his class. However, it’s a little difficult to be the scariest cat when you scare so easily! With the help of his teacher, maybe Splat will get the last scare after all.

2. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

by Linda Williams

A little old lady is out for a walk in the woods when she begins to hear some strange noises… from different articles of clothing! With this book, there are many opportunities to add some silly voices and creative sound effects for an engaging read aloud.

3. Creepy Crayon! 

by Aaron Reynolds

This funny but spooky story follows Jasper Rabbit as he finds a crayon that is a little… too perfect. Because of this crayon, things are going well for Jasper. Soon enough, Jasper realizes this crayon is just creepy!!

4. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! 

by Lucille Colandro

The Old Lady series always gets children laughing and this Halloween-themed book is no exception! Children will love the fun rhyme scheme and outrageous happenings in this silly book.

5. Love Monster and the Scary Something

by Rachel Bright 

In this sweet spooky story, Love Monster is getting a little scared after hearing all of these noises while trying to go to sleep. What could the scary something be?

6. Little Boo

by Stephen Wunderli

In this charming book, a little pumpkin seed cannot wait to be scary. As the seasons change, the little pumpkin seed tries to be scary but is simply not. The wind reassures the pumpkin seed that one day, that little pumpkin seed will be scary! A sweet lesson on patience in this picture book.

7. Los Gatos Black on Halloween

by Marisa Montes

Monsters, witches, and skeletons all gather for a ball in the Haunted Hall. This book features plenty of Spanish words to introduce to young readers.

8. Mother Ghost

by Rachel Kolar

This book of spooky nursery rhymes will be such a fun addition to your library this Halloween. 2nd graders will laugh and giggle at the festive spin on popular nursery rhymes, such as “Mary, Mary, Tall and Scary” and “Little Boy Drac.”

9. Room on the Broom

by Julia Donaldson

Room on the Broom is a great story to read this Halloween. When a witch starts to lose some of her personal belongings, some helpful animals find them! In return, they want a ride on the broom. Will there be enough room? This is one of my favorites!

10. Can You Make a Scary Face?

by Jan Thomas

If you are hoping for your students to sit still while listening to this book, you should consider another book! Your students will love this fun and interactive book.

11. Spookley the Square Pumpkin

by Joe Troiano 

Spookley, the main character in this adorable story, is a square pumpkin who just may use his unique shape to save the day.

12. That Monster on the Block

by Sue Ganz-Schmitt

When a clown moves into Monster’s neighborhood, Monster is not too thrilled. Will a friendship develop between this unlikely pair?

13. Gustavo, the Shy Ghost

by Flavia Z. Drago 

Gustavo has a difficult time making friends because he is just so shy. One day, Gustavo comes up with a plan to make some friends. Do you think it will work?

14. Froggy’s Halloween

by Jonathan London

Like so many boys and girls, Froggy has to find the perfect Halloween costume. Soon enough, he finds a great Halloween costume and is ready to trick-or-treat! But some things just aren’t going his way. A cute non-scary story that children will love.

15. How to Make Friends with a Ghost

by Rebecca Green

This book serves as a comprehensive guide on how to make friends with a ghost. Yes, ghosts love to make new friends! A fun book that is both silly and engaging.

16. No Zombies Allowed

by Matt Novak

Witch Wizzle and Witch Woddle found some pictures from last year’s Halloween party. And the zombies were not the best party guests! But neither were the werewolves… or the ghosts! An entertaining story about including everyone.

17. Bone Soup

by Cambria Evans

This fun Halloween book is a spin on the classic story Stone Soup. Finnigin the skeleton has quite the appetite. When he heads to a new village, the villagers are not willing to share any of their food. Will Finnigin’s bone soup bring the village together for a great feast?

18. The Night Before Halloween

by Natasha Wing

A fun and spooky adaptation of the Christmas poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” A great read to get children excited about the upcoming fun of Halloween!

19. Skeleton Hiccups

by Margery Cuyler

What is a skeleton supposed to do when he has the hiccups? Skeleton tries some common remedies to get rid of his hiccups, but nothing is working. His friend has an idea!

20. Big Pumpkin

by Erica Silverman

After growing the biggest pumpkin ever, the witch cannot wait to make some delicious pumpkin pie. But the pumpkin is so large that she can’t pick it off the vine. Hopefully, some of her creature pals can help her out.

21. Pumpkin Jack

by Will Hubbell

After being carved, a beloved jack-o-lantern begins to rot so his owner puts it in the garden. But soon enough, a new plant begins to grow. A wonderful book to supplement a lesson about the life cycle of a pumpkin.

22. The Worst Halloween Book in the Whole Entire World

by Joey Acker

Young children and adults alike will enjoy this short and silly book about Poor Nameless who always seems to be in some sticky situations.

23. In The Haunted House

by Eve Bunting

This is a great read aloud for second grade because the creatures are a little spooky for younger children – I won’t lie! Step inside this haunted house and meet some creepy creatures and monsters.

24. A Halloween Scare at My House

by Eric James

This cute story has it all – monsters, werewolves, ghouls, and more! They’re heading to someone’s house. I wonder what they could want.

25. Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat

by Sue Lowell Gallion

Pig is so excited to trick-or-treat in a new Halloween costume, but Pug is less than thrilled to be wearing his. Will these two pals be able to still trick-or-treat? Or will Pug want to stay home?

26. Bonaparte Falls Apart

by Margery Cuyler

What is Bonaparte to do when his bones start to fall off? He and his pals try to think of some clever solutions, but nothing seems to be working.

27. There’s a Ghost In This House 

by Oliver Jeffers

Kids will love this one, I promise. A little girl lives in a haunted house but has yet to see a ghost. Perhaps we can help her find some? A creative book that features hiding ghosts on transparent pages throughout the book.

28. Christopher Pumpkin

by Sue Hendra

A witch is hosting a scary party tomorrow, so it is time to brew up some pumpkins that will scare her guests! It seems that something has gone wrong with the last pumpkin. This pumpkin is not scary at all!

29. Does Frankenstein Get Hungry? 

by John Solimine

A little girl has so many questions about different spooky creatures while she’s lying awake in bed.

30. And Then Comes Halloween

by Tom Brenner

This book perfectly captures the anticipation that comes before Halloween, emphasizing the special things that happen during this time of year.

31. Halloween Is…

by Gail Gibbons

This informative picture book features vibrant and bold illustrations along with interesting facts about Halloween. This book discusses how some common Halloween traditions came to be, such as carving jack-o’-lanterns and wearing costumes. A great choice if you are looking for more of an informative book to read!

32. The 13 Nights of Halloween

by Guy Vasilovich 

The 13 Nights of Halloween is a Halloween adaptation of the classic Christmas song “The 12 Days of Christmas.” This book would be a great read aloud (or would it be a sing-aloud?) for Halloween.

33. Snowmen at Halloween

34. A Spoonful of Frogs

35. A Teeny Tiny Halloween

by Lauren L. Wohl

A teeny tiny woman lives in a teeny tiny cottage deep in the woods. When the leaves fall, her teeny tiny home gets covered up by all of the leaves! Hopefully, the teeny tiny woman thinks of a creative way to call for help.

36. Leila the Perfect Witch 

by Flavia Z. Drago

Leila strives for perfection in everything she does. She does so many things and does all of those things so well. Now her sights are set on winning the Magnificent Witchy Bake-Off!

37. Halloween Hustle

by Charlotte Gunnufson 

In this upbeat book, Skeleton is ready to head to a party. On the way, Skeleton and all of his monster pals are doing the Halloween hustle dance. Kids will be ready to boogie after reading this!

38. The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky

by Jory John

The Bad Seed series is a great one. This Halloween story follows the Bad Seed as he prepares for Halloween – his favorite holiday! There’s only one thing that is making him very, very cranky… he has no costume!

39. Trick or Treat, Crankenstein

by Samantha Berger

Halloween is Crankenstein’s favorite holiday. So, when things do not go just his way, Crankenstein gets… cranky! Will he be able to deal with the disappointment on Halloween?

40. How to Catch a Monster

by Adam Wallace 

Although this book is not necessarily a Halloween book, it is still a great one to read. A young ninja has to capture the scary monster in his closet. But what do you do if the monster isn’t actually that scary? The monster is quite friendly!

41. Sir Simon

by Cale Atkinson

Sir Simon, a professional ghost, is looking forward to moving to a new house where he can haunt his grandparents. But… Chester, their grandson, is moving in too! Maybe Chester can be a useful person to Sir Simon.

42. Pick a Pumpkin 

by Patricia Toht

Choosing your very own pumpkin for the Halloween season is such a fun tradition. This book depicts all of the steps in the exciting process of creating a jack-o’-lantern.

43. Boo Stew 

by Donna L. Washington

44. If You Ever Meet a Skeleton

45. The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt 

46. The Hallo-Wiener 

47. Moonlight: The Halloween Cat