Autumn is my favourite season – new beginnings, cozy jumpers and so many special days! This fantastic collection of books will put you in the mood for crisp October weather and gentle spooks.
Grumpkin by Nicola Edwards & Sian Roberts (Little Tiger – August 2025)
Grumpkin made me smile the very first time I saw him. Big and bold, he’s clearly a pumpkin to be reckoned with. As a sturdy board book, this story is perfect for the littlest readers getting ready to enjoy Hallowe’en with their families.
Grumpkin is a pumpkin who hates Hallowe’en! He dreams of being out in the sun on a desert island. Instead, he’s stuck in a muddy pumpkin patch with other giddy pumpkins who love dressing up, eating sweets and getting picked to become the perfect Jack-O-Lantern. Finally, Grumpkin manages to board a ship for a tropical island but it’s not what he hoped for. Sunburned, eating nothing but bananas and missing Spooksville, he’s lonely. Maybe Hallowe’en isn’t so bad afterall.
Ghost Hunt by Isobel Otter & Kathryn Selbert (Little Tiger – August 2025)
Ghost Hunt is a gorgeous introduction to all things Hallowe’en! The illustrations are adorable and not at all scary while charming rhymes carry children through the text. Full of witches, ghosts, skeletons and pumpkins, it includes all the key vocabulary for this time of year. Readers visit a haunted house, a forest, a witch’s hut, a graveyard, a bat’s cave, a dusty hall and a pumpkin patch in search of ghosts and other creatures using a special UV torch. Interactive and so appealing, this book will have little readers coming back again and again.
Colin’s Grandma by Holly Swain (Farshore – August 2025)
I adored Colin’s Castle when it was published in 2024 and was thrilled when a sequel arrived – I actually let out a cheer! Colin, the delightful vegetarian vampire, and his friend Duck are back! In this new adventure, they’re expecting a visitor. Colin’s grandma (who he hasn’t seen in over 100 years) is coming to stay. She’s brought lots of luggage – and her pet crocodile. Grandma doesn’t understand Colin and Duck’s way of life and tries to change everything. She even tries to send Duck away! Does Colin have the courage to stand up for himself and persuade Grandma to try new things? Duck’s fate hangs in the balance!
Colin’s Grandma is brilliant! Readers will love all their quirky ways and the new activities Grandma introduces. There’s plenty of opportunity to discuss which way of life is better and think of strategies to help Colin stand up to Grandma. This is a perfect autumn book for EYFS and KS1.
Find out more about Colin’s Castle in last year’s Spooky Season post:
No More Mr. Mice Guy by Fiona Ross (Little Tiger – August 2025)
When Grandma wins a competition, she and Squeak (the mouse) discover a box of mysterious, sticky, green jelly dessert outside their door. Grandma throws it away but Squeak can’t resist! One tiny taste transforms Squeak into Hyde – a massive monster mouse who eats everything in sight. In the morning, the magic wears off and Squeak goes back to normal while poor Grandma wakes up to a slimy mess and empty cupboards. You’d think Squeak would have learned his lesson but when another jelly dessert arrives, he tries it again. Using a Mega Munch Machine, he transforms everything into food and devours it. The police are after him, the house is a mess and Grandma has no choice but to fight back!
No More Mr Mice Guy is absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious! Squeak/Hyde’s out of control, outrageous eating and the unlikely mousey monster will have readers gasping, laughing and asking for the story again and again. Adult readers will appreciate the subtle commentary that competition prizes are often not quite what they seem.
The Notwitches Prison Break by Gary Panton & Dolly Sutton (Chicken House – August 2025)
Witchy sisters Melanda and Mitch are back in their second adventure. Now that they’ve found each other and got rid of their terrible aunts, they need to break their parents out of the Dark and Horrible and Disgusting Prison for Witches. But, in order to do this, they need to get caught by the witch hunters and put in prison themselves. A PDW (public display of witching) complete with pointy hats, fake warty witch noses and their gorgeous cat Rolo, seems to do the trick – if the witch hunters weren’t so hopeless. Melanda has dreamed of meeting her parents and won’t give up until they’ve faced every creepy creature and outsmarted every grumpy guard.
This series is perfect for Years 2 – 4. Short, funny chapters with memorable characters and a new twist around every corner will keep readers engaged and giggling to themselves as Melanda and Mitch do all they can to rescue their parents.
Find out more about the first Notwitches book below:
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Books by Kate Heap:
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