![\""A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/TVP-Z-DB-SOUND-NIGHT-COCO-01.jpg\")
“A Sound in the Night” by Mar\u00eda Coco (Courtesy\/Rise x Penguin Workshop)<\/p>\nThe spooky season has arrived, and so has a great collection of chills and thrills for young readers.<\/p>\n
Halloween hijinks \u2014 spooky costumes, late-night escapades and creatures of the dark \u2014 can get a little intense for tender hearts. These fall-themed books take slightly scary circumstances like darkness, foggy forests and family mishaps and make them manageable, and even fun, to explore. These recommendations highlight picture books with an emphasis on tricky situations that turn out to be treats. <\/p>\n
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“A Sound in the Night” by Mar\u00eda Coco (Courtesy\/Rise x Penguin Workshop)<\/p>\n
\u201cA Sound in the Night\u201d by Mar\u00eda Coco.<\/strong> (Ages 2-4. Rise x Penguin Workshop. $19.99.)<\/p>\n Without a single word (except the \u201cCRACK\u201d of a mysterious commotion), Mar\u00eda Coco spins a tale of fun, fear, bravery and belonging \u2014 perfect for readers who want there to be something sweet, rather than scary, waiting in the dark.<\/p>\n A girl and her dog go camping, and all is peaceful \u2014 until strange sounds wake them in the night. They creep out of their tent to find \u2026 not a scary monster but a potential (fluffy) new friend.<\/p>\n Coco\u2019s striking risograph illustrations have a limited palette but convey a wealth of emotion, from the late-night dark of a tiny campsite surrounded by trees to the warm, bright home the happy campers share.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n \u201cLittle Owl\u2019s Fog\u201d by Divya Srinivasan.<\/strong> (Ages 3-5. Viking Books for Young Readers. $18.99.)<\/p>\n Little Owl, star of four previous books, returns for a slightly spooky outing when friendly bats invite him to visit their cavern in a part of the forest he doesn\u2019t know. Little Owl\u2019s friends warn him that there\u2019s something odd there, but Mama offers a more adventurous point of view.<\/p>\n \u201cStrange is not always scary,\u201d Mama reminds Little Owl. \u201cAnd not everyone is scared of the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n So Little Owl braves someplace new \u2014 and is amazed by the way fog cloaks a familiar forest in mystery. At the end of his quest, he has seen new sights, but he\u2019s ready to enjoy the comfort of returning home as the fog drifts off and the stars are visible again.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n \u201cPumpkin Dad\u201d by Pascal Lema\u00eetre.<\/strong> (Ages 3-5. Viking Books for Young Readers. $10.99.)<\/p>\n When Dad\u2019s nap is interrupted by young Ellis practicing magic spells, Dad decides to play a harmless little prank \u2026 and drops a big, orange replacement onto his recliner.<\/p>\n \u201cOh no,\u201d Ellis laments, \u201cI turned my dad into a pumpkin!\u201d<\/p>\n The would-be enchanter becomes a rescuer, trying to haul the hapless gourd to the hospital but ending up at a pumpkin festival instead. As Dad chases the action \u2014 calling, \u201cEllis, come back! It was a joke!\u201d \u2014 Ellis defends Pumpkin Papa from decorating, cooking and sipping.<\/p>\n As Ellis and Dad are reunited with a hug, all is returned to normal \u2026 and it\u2019s Ellis who gets the last laugh.<\/p>\n![\""Pumpkin](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/TVP-Z-DB-PUMPKIN-DAD-PASCAL-01.jpg\")
“Pumpkin Dad” by Pascal Lema\u00eetre. (Courtesy\/Viking Books for Young Readers)<\/p>\n