Culinary picture books featuring monsters, ghouls, zombies and witches...Is it niche? Yes. Is it necessary this spooky season? Also yes! Spooktacular kids' books for those of us who also likes get spooky in the kitchen. These fan-tasty books include sweet treats, soups and stews that make you go yuck, and beautiful and poisonous gardens not meant for human consumption!
The café at the edge of the woods
Please, Mikey, author, illustrator.
jE Please
"Rene and Glumfoot are ready to serve very fine cuisine at the café at the edge of the woods. But when their first customer, an ogre, demands pickled bats and battered mice, Rene is ready to give up! She can't possibly serve such rubbish. Or can she? With a little bit of compromise, perhaps she can satisfy her customer and still serve the most delicious grub"--Provided by publisher.
Monster baker
Lavoie, Laura, author.
jE Lavoie
"Tomorrow is Grandmonster's 247th birthday, and Tillie has a boo-rilliant idea. She's going to bake a birthday cake! But when Uncle Hairy gobbles up Tillie's near-Pierrefect Squirmin' Chocolate Cake, she rushes to bake another. SPLAT! And another. "MY CAKE!" And another. SHRIEK! Baking on her own isn't easy, and Tillie makes many mistakes, learning that with a little patience, care, and determination, she can do just about anything"--
I'm obsessed with the bright colors and "sweets" aesthetic of this book.
- Mari
A spoonful of frogs
Lyall, Casey, author.
jE Lyall
Young readers will have a hopping good time in this hilarious story about a witch who is having a hard time wrangling a bunch of frogs into her frog soup until she comes up with a surprising solution.
Super funny and I love the vintage feel!
- Mari
Skeleton for dinner
Cuyler, Margery.
j394.2646 Cuyler
Big Witch and Little Witch have made stew and want to invite their friends to eat with them, but Skeleton mistakes the guest list for a menu and takes off to warn Ghost and Ghoul, who hide with him in the haunted forest.
A classic, "humerus" misunderstanding!
- Mari
Zombies don't eat veggies
Lacera, Megan, author.
jE Lacera
Although Mo's parents insist he eat zombie cuisine, Mo craves vegetables and strives to get them to taste recipes made from his hidden garden. Includes recipes.
Some zombies have elevated tastes, ok?
- Mari
Leila, the perfect witch
Drago, Flavia Z., author, illustrator.
jE Drago
Leila Wayward is a little witch who excels at everything she does. She's the fastest flier, the most cunning conjuror, and the most superb shape-shifter. She has won trophies for potions, herbology, and alchemy--and now she dreams of winning the Magnificent Witchy Cake-off! As the youngest in a long line of masters of the Dark Arts of Patisserie, Leila wants her entry to be perfect. But even with the most bewitching of recipes, she realizes a terrible truth: she's a disaster in the kitchen. Luckily, Leila has three magical sisters who are happy to share their culinary secrets with her. What's more, Leila discovers that baking with them is fun! Win or lose, she has already tasted the sweetest thing of all: acceptance--with a pinch of nightshade and a bit of mandrake.
The cutest illustrations! Highly recommend Gustavo by the same author as well.
- Mari
Boo stew
Washington, Donna L., 1967- author.
j394.2646 Washington
Curly Lock's cooking makes the Scares of Toadsuck Swamp go berserk. She has an inkling her unsavory cooking can help the situation.
Brains! Not just a zombie snack
McAnulty, Stacy, author.
jE Mcanulty
"Brains. 78% water, 100% delicious. A zombie chef who has sworn off eating brains salivates over this super powerful organ in this . . . picture book. From learning about how the brain processes messages from our five senses, to learning why wrinkly human brains are so much more powerful than smooth mouse brains, this is an introduction to the organ that does it all"--
The Wompananny witches make one mean pizza
Palmer, Jennie, 1976- author illustrator.
jE Palmer
When Anita and Winnifred Wompananny, kitchen witches, are frightened by some children, they unwittingly bake their bad feelings into a pizza that escapes the oven and goes barreling through town.
I love pizza books and witch books!
- Mari
Monsters don't eat broccoli
Hicks, Barbara Jean.
jE Hicks
Illustrations and rhyming text reveal how imagination can spice up even the healthiest meal.
Creepy carrots!
Reynolds, Aaron, 1970-
jE Reynolds
The carrots that grow in Crackenhopper Field are the fattest and crispiest around and Jasper Rabbit cannot resist pulling some to eat each time he passes by, until he begins hearing and seeing creepy carrots wherever he goes.
You may never eat carrots again....
- Mari
Scooby-Doo! and the cupcake caper
Sander, Sonia.
j394.2646 Scooby-Doo
Scooby and the gang investigate when their efforts to make cupcakes for the school bake sale are complicated by a meddling ghost.
The Hallo-Wiener
Dav Pilkey
OverDrive eBook
From Dav Pilkey, creator of the New York Times bestselling Dog Man and Captain Underpants series, comes Oscar, a little dog with a big bullying problem.Oscar is a little dog with a big problem — he gets more tricks than treats because other dogs tease him all the time. But one brave act on Halloween makes Oscar a Grade-A hero, proving that a little wiener can be a real winner!
Weiner dog, hot dog, whatever! This is a Halloween classic!
- Mari
Bone soup : a spooky, tasty tale
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin, 1957- author.
j394.2646 Capucilli
"In this version of the classic tale, Stone soup, three witches are looking for a tasty treat on Halloween morning and they find only a small bone in their cupboard. So they decide to go from door to door in their village to find just the right ingredients for their bone soup"--
Prunella
Ferry, Beth, author.
jE Ferry
Born with a purple thumb instead of a green one like her parents, Prunella cultivates a poisonous garden to keep people away until a curious weed of a different sort pops up, forcing her to decide between uprooting this tentative new friendship or allowing it to blossom.
Sweets and treats
Depken, Kristen L., author.
j394.2646 Disney
"Join the Disney princesses for Halloween tricks and sweet treats! "--
Cookie boo
Paul, Ruth, author, illustrator.
j394.2646 Paul
"When the cookies escape for a Halloween romp, they will have some tricks and treats before the night is through!"--
These cookies are so cute you'll want to make your own Halloween sugar cookies!
- Mari
Bone soup
Evans, Cambria.
j394.2646 Evans
Retells the classic tale about a traveller, a ghost, who tricks a town's witches, ghouls, and zombies into helping him make soup.
Millie Fleur's poison garden
Mandin, Christy, author, illustrator.
jE Mandin
Millie Fleur La Fae is new in Garden Glen, and she plans to plant her garden of strange and sometimes dangerous plants, but the town garden club does not approve of her and wants to tear it down.
Millie is the one feeding her plants...and some of them eat some interesting things. Best to avoid eating Millie's plants...
- Mari
Frankie D, vegan vampire
Dutra, Sally, author.
jFICTION Dutra Sally
"The first book in a hilarious early chapter book series, starring a lovable vampire trying to find his place in an unfamiliar world. 'In many ways, fourth-grader Frankie D is a typical "new kid." He's anxious about fitting in at school, hopes he makes friends and that he doesn't forget where the bathroom is. One major thing sets him apart, though: Frankie is a vampire. But he's not your typical vampire, either ... Sure, he's nocturnal by nature, has fangs, superhuman abilities and is immortal. But Frankie's family has decided to leave their vampire life in Transylvania behind. They've gone vegan, and moved to a mid-sized American city for a fresh start. Where Frankie is from, the school day began at midnight and ended at dawn. Now in America, Frankie and his family must adjust their sleep schedule, train to be out in the sun and eat a zero-blood diet. Not only that, he has to navigate school as the new kid and keep his vampire identity secret from other humans. Frankie D, Vegan Vampire is full of deadpan humour, irony and playful twists on the vampire trope, making it a super fun and entertaining read -- but important themes of friendship, family, kindness, dealing with bullies and adapting to life in a new country and culture add depth and heart to the story. The characters are relatable, and readers will identify with the challenges Frankie faces as he navigates the often confusing complications of fourth grade and being a newcomer, taking things one bite at a time.'"--
The Bailey School Kids
Low, Pearl, author, artist.
jGRAPHIC NOVEL Dadey Bailey
The hard-to-handle third graders at Bailey Elementary School wonder if their new teacher, Mrs. Jeepers, who just moved from Transylvania and has glowing green eyes, is a vampire. These chapter books were my favorite series as a kid!
The Bailey School Kids chapter books and graphic novels often feature mythical creatures eating and cooking yummy foods, including the graphic novels in our collection "Ghosts Don't Eat Potato Chips" and "Dragons Don't Cook Pizza."
- Mari
Frankenstein makes a sandwich : and other stories you're sure to like, because they're all about monsters, and some of them are also about food...
Rex, Adam.
j811 Rex
Stories in verse about the monster-sized problems Dracula, Wolfman, Bigfoot and other monsters have.
I love the illustrations, and the jokes are howlingly funny.
- Mari
Hocus pocus : the official cookbook : 70 recipes inspired by the Sanderson sisters, Max, Dani, and beyond!
Craig, Elena P., author.
641.5 /Craig
Inspired by the beloved Halloween movie classic, this cookbook creates fun for the whole family through festive, tasty recipes that will have everyone cooking like a Sanderson sister, including ring of salt pretzels, Massachusetts baked beans, and witch's broom donuts.
Technically an all-ages cookbook, but perfect for Hocus Pocus foodies!
- Mari
Fangsgiving
Long, Ethan, author, illustrator.
j394.2649 Long
The monsters of the Fright Club have gathered for a Thanksgiving feast at Vlad's home, but his family arrives unexpectedly and puts their own spin on every dish.
And a little spooky Thanksgiving read to get you in the mood for the big eating holiday!
- Mari
A truly delightful rhyming read!
- Mari