Halloween book parades are the perfect way to combine fun and learning on such a spooky, sugar-filled day. They’re not only a great excuse for your students to dress up as their favorite literary heroes, book parades also make learning about these characters—and the books they star in—even more enjoyable.
Check out these Halloween-themed books to engage your young readers on the big, spooky day!
If you’re new to book parades, or just looking for some literary inspiration to ensure your Halloween book parade is a learning and fun-filled success, check out these 7 spookily good theme ideas:
PRINCESSES AND PRINCES
Your young learners will love dressing up as their favorite royal characters from these four books starring their favorite princesses and princes:
Peppa Pig from Princess Peppa
Violet from The Princess Knight
Fly Guy from Prince Fly Guy
Bubba from Bubba the Cowboy Prince
SUPERHEROES
From Captain Underpants to SuperKid, these superheroes will ensure your Halloween parade is superpowered:
The Green Tiger, Pink Python, or a totally new and imagined superhero from the Superhero Instruction Manual
Batman, Superman, and more from LEGO DC Superheroes: Save the Day
SuperKid from The Adventures of SuperKid: SuperKid on the Loose
Captain Underpants from The Adventures of Captain Underpants
ANIMAL KINGDOM
These five characters from the animal kingdom will make sure your Halloween parade is filled with both fun and learning:
Dog Man
Pete from Pete the Cat's Train Trip
Wendell the mouse from A Weekend With Wendell
Gerald and Piggie from Elephant & Piggie: My New Friend Is So Fun!
FAIRYTALE MAGIC
Bring magic to your Halloween parade this year with these five characters from your students’ favorite fairytales:
The Little Red Hen
The Ugly Duckling
Little Red Riding Hood
Goldilocks from Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Rumpelstiltskin
MOVIE CHARACTERS
From the printed page to the big screen (and back again) these three characters will make your book parade a star-studded success:
Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web
Stuart Little
Curious George from Curious George Rides A Bike
HISTORICAL FIGURES
These three important figures from history are a great place to start if you’re looking to help your students travel back in time this Halloween:
Roberto Clemente from I Am: Roberto Clemente
Albert Einstein from I Am: Albert Einstein
George Washington from I Am: George Washington
DRAGONS AND DINOSAURS
These six dragons and dinosaurs will bring the perfect mix of myth and prehistoric mystery to your Halloween book parade:
Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptor from Who Would Win?: Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Velociraptor
Dragon from Dragon Gets By
Dizzy from Meet Dizzy Dinosaur!
Digger from Digger the Dinosaur and the Play Day
A big-show-off dinosaur from The Really, Really, Really Big Dinosaur
During your book parade, set aside time for your students to share with you and their classmates the story of their character and how that story inspired their costume. Encourage students to pair off or work in small groups to discuss their costumes and the books and characters that inspired them. You can even take it a step further by asking students to write about the characters they learned about from their classmates!
For more Halloween book parade theme ideas inspired by your students’ favorite books check out these 39 read-alouds for grades PreK-3.