When October rolls around, it can be hard not to talk about Halloween. That includes during speech therapy sessions! Using Halloween-themed books is a great way to bring that excitement into targeting speech and language goals. They can be fun, motivating, and also help to generalize vocabulary learned and concepts reviewed in sessions to functional contexts outside sessions. Below you’ll find a list of our favorite Halloween books for speech therapy, grouped into categories, plus tips for using them. We’ve also included a section of Día de los Muertos books.

Why Use Halloween Books in Speech Therapy?

Most children already have a lot of background knowledge about the basics of Halloween (costumes, candy, jack-o’-lanterns), so Halloween books can be intriguing since they’re already familiar with the basic concepts. That being said, Halloween books can also introduce new vocabulary and themes without being totally unfamiliar for children.

Halloween books are also great for targeting:

  • Vocabulary: Halloween books contain lots of seasonal and descriptive words like haunted, creepy, costume, pumpkin patch, and skeleton. Pick 3 to 5 target words before reading the story and have children try to “spot” them while reading.
  • Rhyming and phonological awareness: Many Halloween picture books are written in rhyme, which is great for targeting rhyming and sound awareness goals. When reading, pause before the last word of a rhyming line and encourage the child to fill in the rhyme.
  • Sequencing and retelling: Cumulative stories (where events build on each other) are natural ways to work on first, next, then, and last. Repetitive stories or a night of trick-or-treating lend themselves to sequencing as well! You can also extend the activity by retelling the stories with figurines, pictures, or play dough creations. 
  • Predicting and inferencing: There’s often an element of surprise and/or suspense in Halloween-themed stories, which are great for asking questions like, “What do you think is going to happen next?”
  • Wh- Questions: Because the images and themes are different from other children’s books, Halloween stories can be used to ask unique wh- (who, what, where, when, and why) questions.
  • Emotions and problem-solving: The excitement of Halloween, or the fear around a spooky theme, is commonly covered in Halloween books. 
  • Articulation: Repetitive phrases and high-frequency words give lots of practice generalizing speech sounds.
  • AAC: Looking at Halloween books is a great way to target navigating to new pages on a high tech AAC device. You may also notice additional themed vocabulary that can be added to children’s devices.
  • Compare and contrast: After reading two or more Halloween books, you can discuss similarities and differences between the books (including characters, settings, problems, themes).

Halloween Books for Speech Therapy

Here are some of our favorite Halloween books for speech therapy, with short descriptions of how they can be used in sessions. We hope you find some new favorites!

A few notes:

  • If you are unable to access a physical copy of a book you want to read, there are often read-alouds on YouTube! Search “[name of book] + read-aloud,” and find a video that shows the book's text and illustrations!
  • Not every child celebrates Halloween. If that is the case, choose books that don’t directly talk about Halloween or check out our more general fall-themed books for speech therapy.
  • Review the books ahead of time to make sure they’re appropriate for the children you’re working with and the goals you want to target! 

Silly & Friendly Halloween Books for Speech Therapy

  • Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson: A witch and her animal friends adventure together. Great for rhyming, sequencing, and retelling.
  • Pete the Cat: Trick or Pete by Kimberly and James Dean: Pete goes trick-or-treating with friends. Great for vocabulary and wh- questions.
  • Llama Llama Trick or Treat by Anna Dewdney: Llama Llama and his friends celebrate Halloween. Great for rhyming and basic wh- questions.
  • Click, Clack, Boo! by Doreen Cronin: The farm animals get ready for a Halloween surprise. Great for sound words (onomatopoeias) and predicting.
  • Winnie the Witch by Valerie Thomas: Winnie’s black cat is hard to see in her black house, so she changes everything with a spell. Great for problem-solving and describing colors.
  • Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O’Connell: A witch moves into a haunted house and scares the ghosts away, one by one. Great for rhyming, inferencing, describing, and sequencing.
  • Clifford's Halloween by Norman Bridwell: Emily Elizabeth recounts past Halloweens and thinks about this year’s holiday. Great for predicting and describing. 
  • Mouse’s First Halloween by Lauren Thompson: Mouse experiences his first Halloween. Great for inferencing and wh- questions.

Cumulative & Repetitive Stories for Speech Therapy

  • The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams: A woman finds different clothing items on a dark night. Great for sequencing, repetition, and sound words.
  • Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman: A witch can’t pull her giant pumpkin off the vine until she gets help. Great for predicting and problem-solving.
  • Where’s My Mummy? by Carolyn Crimi: A mummy looks for his mother in a spooky place. Great for wh- questions, sound words, emotions, and predicting.
  • The Spooky Wheels on the Bus by J. Elizabeth Mills: A Halloween twist on a familiar song (great for singing or reading aloud!). Great for wh- questions, sequencing, and sound words.
  • Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle: Little Blue Truck picks up his friends for Halloween. Great for rhyming, wh- questions, and basic inferencing.

Pumpkins & Fall Fun for Speech Therapy

  • Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper: A cat, squirrel, and duck have a disagreement over who does what in their kitchen. Great for problem-solving and social-emotional language.
  • Stumpkin by Lola M. Schaefer: A pumpkin with a stump for a stem feels left out at the pumpkin patch. Great for emotions, perspective-taking, and describing.
  • The Biggest Pumpkin Surprise Ever by Steven Kroll: Two mice are both caring for the same pumpkin. Great for inferencing, comparing, and problem-solving.
  • Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell: A boy carves a jack-o’-lantern and follows it through the seasons. Great for sequencing, predicting, describing, and vocabulary.
  • The Pumpkin Thief by Alice Hemming: Squirrel is on the hunt for the missing pumpkins. Great for predicting, describing emotions, and wh- questions. 

Spooky (But Not Too Scary) Books for Speech Therapy

  • In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz: Short, easy-to-read spooky stories with lots of repetition. Great for prediction and sequencing with older children.
  • Bone Soup by Cambria Evans: A skeleton tricks a village into making his Halloween feast. Great for vocabulary, sequencing, and problem-solving.
  • Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds: Jasper Rabbit is sure the carrots he stole are following him. Great for inferencing, predicting, and emotions.
  • Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds: Jasper Rabbit buys glow-in-the-dark underwear and can’t shake the feeling it’s haunted. Great for emotions, inferencing (and comparing to Creepy Carrots!). 

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Books for Speech Therapy

Día de los Muertos, celebrated November 1 and 2, is a Mexican holiday that honors and remembers loved ones who have passed away. It often gets grouped with Halloween because the dates are close, but it’s a distinct tradition with its own history, symbols, and meaning. Day of the Dead books for speech therapy are a great way to discuss different cultures and holidays. Additionally, you may have clients who celebrate the holiday or speak Spanish at home, which would make these books especially fitting!

Children’s Books for Day of the Dead

  • Día de Muertos: Números: A Day of the Dead Counting Book by Duncan Tonatiuh: A bilingual counting book that introduces Día de los Muertos traditions through numbers. Great for early language, vocabulary, and describing.
  • Day of the Dead / El Día de los Muertos by Bob Barner: A bilingual introduction to the holiday’s traditions, with simple text and bold collage illustrations. Great for vocabulary, labeling, and vocabulary.
  • Day of the Dead by Tony Johnston: A bilingual story about a family preparing for the holiday, with descriptive language. Great for describing, sequencing, and inferencing.
  • Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh: The story of the artist José Guadalupe Posada and his famous skeleton art. Great for older elementary children, vocabulary, and discussing art and culture.
  • Maria Molina and the Days of the Dead by Kathleen Krull: A girl learns about the holiday’s traditions, with a mix of Spanish and English. Great for older elementary children, comprehension, social-emotional topics, and cultural vocabulary.

Additional Halloween & Seasonal Resources

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