Woo! Picture Books!

Posted on October 2, 2025 at 7:18 am by Gene Ambaum

This Year, A Witch by Zoey Abbott. A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book, 2025. 9781665956024.

The little girl narrating this tale is done with cute costumes! She’s ready to be a witch! And this is amazing because of the bright colors in this lovely picture book and the surprise ending. (Plus her dad sews. And there’s a cat.)

The Zom Bees by Justin Colón, illustrated by Kaly Quarles. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025.

Green zombie bees in a graveyard! But they’re not here to eat our brains; they’re flying about for a much nicer reason. (This book also has a surprise ending that leaves room for a sequel.)

Aggie And The Ghost by Matthew Forsythe. A Paula Wiseman Book, 2025. 9781534478206.

Aggie is a bit annoyed by the fact that her house is haunted, so she gives the ghost a few rules. But the ghost is terrible at following rules. They play an epic, exhausting game of tic-tac-toe to figure out which of them has to leave. (The ending isn’t a surprise exactly, but it’s one of my favorites. Plus Forsythe’s illustrations have amazing blends of colors.)

I Hate Everything! By Sophy Henn. Beach Lane Books, 2025. 9781665980494.

One ghost says it hates everything, but the other reminds it that it doesn’t really. It’s a book full of big feelings, and I love Henn’s use of word balloons and simple facial expressions. (If your kids might be freaked out by other ghostly or witchy picture books, this is the one to bring home.)