Monster Mash: 4 Monster Picture Books

I love checking out picture books from the library for my son, but October makes for an especially fun reading month for us. Summer has ended, school has started, and while these things can feel like a bummer, the excitement of the Halloween season gives us something to look forward to again. We chatter about our Halloween costume ideas, poke around the fall decor aisles while shopping, attend fall festivals, and revel in the shared joy of the season together. I work in a library, so I bring home stacks of Halloween books for us to read together, and picture books about monsters make up many of our favorites. While monster books for kids are fun to read at this time of the year, they also help destigmatize the horror genre for children. These books give kids the opportunity to face their fears of monsters in a safe setting. They can read about characters their age being brave and confronting their fears, and this can be a cathartic reading experience. Another Book Riot writer, Sarah S. Davis, digs into this more with her essay on why we need horror in kid lit. Some picture books about monsters might be a little scary, but many include light-hearted elements like cute illustrations,...