15 of Our Favorite Ghost Picture Books for Preschoolers

Halloween is just around the corner! It’s the perfect time to curl up with one of our favorite picture ghost picture books for preschoolers.

Ghosts are interesting. They’re supposed to be scary, but in kids’ books they’re often super cute. They’re the perfect topic to add to your preschool Halloween activities.

Here are some really great books about ghosts for toddlers through elementary grade readers.

Whether you’re looking to share a classic from your childhood or you’re looking for something new, this collection of picture books is a great place to begin your book basket.

Ghost Picture Books

Below, I’ve featured just a handful of ghost-themed books that will help your preschoolers celebrate Halloween.

You should be able to find them at your local library or book store. If you can’t find them locally, you can click each image cover to purchase them on Amazon.

Five Silly Ghosts – This board book features a classic rhyming read-aloud text with the five silly glittery ghosts in Halloween costumes as they peer through a die-cut cover. Each page turn provides a playfully ghoulish reveal.

Gilbert the Ghost – Gilbert goes to ghost school like all the other ghosts, but he’s a special ghost: he doesn’t like to screech in a scary way, he doesn’t want to haunt and was always polite. What will happen to Gilbert when he’s sent by the principal of school to the Abandoned Tower?

Five Little Ghosts – Five little ghosts at the end of the day are on the lookout for somewhere to play. Follow the adventures of five little ghosts in this comical rhyming caper!

One, Two… Boo! – The littlest trick-or-treaters can lift the flaps to count their way through a spooky old house . . . but they had better be prepared for a few surprises!

The Teeny Tiny Ghost – Each day the teeny tiny ghost goes to haunting school to try to become scarier. It’s hard work, though — especially since he’s frightened by his own screams!

Halloween I Spy – This question and answer game book is a fun, colorful activity to share at Halloween with the little ones in your life – family, friends, pupils – everyone can enjoy the classic children’s guessing game, “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…”

The Scariest Book Ever – Reader beware! This is the scariest book ever! Or so claims its melodramatic ghost narrator. You can go ahead and turn the page, but don’t expect him to come with you…

Grandpa’s Ghost Stories – On a dark and stormy night, the stories begin…

Ghosts – Ghosts are not sheets with holes dragging around a ball and chain. Indeed, they’re just as colorful and diverse as humans. Here you’ll meet the ghost of the chimney, the TV, the kitchen, and the library, to mention just a few.

Ten Timid Ghosts– It’s Halloween, and ten timid ghosts in a haunted house have a problem: a mean witch has moved in and is planning to scare them out, one by one! Young trick-or-treaters learn to count down from ten to one as each ghost flees from the witch’s silly costumes and homemade props. When the homeless ghosts gather in the woods, their fear turns to determination and they plot to get their house back. Will the ghosts frighten the witch away in time for Halloween night?

Boo Who? – Boo is new. And even if the other kids are welcoming, it can be scary being new, especially for a shy ghost who can’t play any of their games. (“You tagged me? Oh, sorry. I couldn’t feel it.”) Can Boo find a way to fit in and make friends with the rest of the group?

The Ghost-Eye Tree – One dark and windy autumn night when the sun has long gone down, a young boy and his older sister are sent to the end of town to get a bucket of milk. As they walk down the lonely road, bathed in eerie moonlight, all the boy can think about is the ghost-eye tree.

How to Make Friends with a Ghost – What do you do when you meet a ghost? One: Provide the ghost with some of its favorite snacks, like mud tarts and earwax truffles. Two: Tell your ghost bedtime stories (ghosts love to be read to). Three: Make sure no one mistakes your ghost for whipped cream or a marshmallow when you aren’t looking!

Ghosts in the House! – At the edge of town lives a clever girl with a spooky problem: Her house is haunted! Luckily, she happens to be a witch and knows a little something about taking care of ghosts. She catches them, puts them in the washing machine, airs them out to dry, and gives them new lives as sofa covers, table cloths, and, of course, bed sheets to cozy up under.

The Little Ghost Who Didn’t Like to Be Scary – Layla is a ghost and ghosts are supposed to be scary. They’re supposed to haunt castles and shout BOOO! But Layla would much rather play with her friends. When Halloween approaches, she needs to decide whether she’s going to be a proper ghost or if there’s another way. One that doesn’t involve being scary.

Which of these books about ghosts will you read first?