Spooky Poetry for Kids: Poems, Books, and Halloween Fun
It’s almost Halloween! I’ve gathered a selection of spooky but not too frightening poems and poetry resources for kids. Get ready to laugh at silly monsters, jump at mischievous ghosts, and get into the spooky season spirit with grim rhymes and cursed verses. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or librarian, I hope you’ll find fun poems to enjoy and share!
Read a Spooky Poem 👻
Here’s a sweet assortment of spooky poems to kick off a night of trick-or-treating—and terror!
“Esther” by Sarah Ziman
Sarah Ziman’s “Esther” introduces a character who seems like a regular kid—or is she? “Esther” grows stranger and stranger line by line until the big reveal—or is it a ghostly disappearance?
"Haunted House" by Carole Bromley
Everything is not as it seems in Carole Bromley’s “Haunted House,” which begins with “a face at a window / that isn’t a face.” This poem evokes the chills and thrills of exploring a house of horrors in a spooky-but-not-too-scary way—perfect for younger kids.
“I’m Only Half a Werewolf” by Kenn Nesbitt
In Kenn Nesbitt’s hilarious monster poem, we meet a werewolf—well, sort of! Kids and adults alike will laugh wholeheartedly at this poem about a half-werewolf. Be sure to check out Kenn Nesbitt’s website for plenty more poems for kids and poetry resources for educators!
“The Shadow” by Julie Anna Douglas
Have you ever seen something so strange that you can hardly believe your eyes? In Julie Anna Douglas’ quietly eerie poem, an ominous shadow creeps into view—do you see it?
“The Book of Beware” by Stefan Karlsson
This is a poem I wrote about a mysterious book discovered in a witch’s lair. That sounds spooky so you probably shouldn’t read it…But do you dare?
Read a Spooky Poetry Book 📖
Here are some scary-good poetry collections full of chilling tales and silly ghouls, perfect for spooky season or year-round late-night story time.
Spooky Poems Aloud: 25 Poems to Frighten and Delight — Poems by Joseph Coelho, Illustrations by Daniel Gray-Barnett
Former UK Children's Laureate Joseph Coelho knows that spooky poems are best when they are read aloud—shouted like a terrifying monster or whispered like a ghost. This poetry collection is perfect for kids who want to celebrate spooky season without getting too scared. The frights are gentle but always fun and surprising. You’ll meet a prankster poltergeist, a skeleton rattling its bones in the basement, a library that bites, and more. Coelho also shares some handy tips for kids writing and performing their own spooky poems.
Creature Carnival — Poems by Marilyn Singer, Illustrations by Gris Grimly
If you’ve ever read Echo Echo or Mirror Mirror, you know that Marilyn Singer is the master of mythic and magical children’s poetry. In Creature Carnival she returns to classic fairy tales, myths, and monster stories with a delightfully macabre twist, as she imagines monstrous creatures such as dragons, gargoyles, and Godzilla all gathered in a perilous circus sideshow. You’ll want to devour these devilishly clever poems in one sitting—before they devour you!
Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich — Adam Rex
Adam Rex is a kid lit writer who never fails to surprise and delight. In this wildly imaginative book of monster poems, you’ll encounter zany twists on familiar monsters, from the Phantom of the Opera (who has an annoying song stuck in his head) to Count Dracula (who has spinach stuck in his teeth). The book is bursting with visual jokes and quirky humor, making it perfect for fans of old monster movies and Stinky Cheese Man.
It’s Halloween — Poems by Jack Prelutsky, Illustrations by Marylin Hafner
Younger readers (4+) will love the sweet but mischievous poems included in this classic Halloween poetry collection. The thirteen poems here feature trick-or-treating shenanigans, Halloween traditions, and some ghoulish characters. I’m particularly fond of the poem “Countdown” in which we see (or don’t see) the numerous ghosts living in a haunted house.
Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep — Poems by Jack Prelutsky, Illustrations by Arnold Lobel
For slightly older readers (7+) who can handle a bit of scariness, I highly recommend Prelutsky’s classic poetry collection Nightmares, illustrated by the great Arnold Lobel (of Frog and Toad fame). These rhyming poems tell the stories of well-known monsters (the bogeyman, vampires, trolls, and more). Several poems place “you,” the reader or listener, directly into the macabre setting of the poem—to unsettling effect! One content warning here: some of the poems can be rather gruesome and graphic, and even though the violence is cartoonish and exaggerated for effect, I think these poems are best for kids that can handle some genuinely nightmarish imagery.
Watch a Spooky Poem 🎬
One great way to get in the spooky spirit is to listen to poems read aloud. Here are several Halloween-themed children’s poems I’ve written and illustrated.
Pumpkins come in many shapes and sizes, and so do their dreams! “Little Pumpkins, Big Dreams” is a playful rhyming poem for kids about dreaming big for the future while accepting oneself in the present moment. It’s a fun poem for autumn and Halloween, when pumpkins get extra chatty.
“The Haunted Poop” is a spooky, goopy rhyming poem for kids that tells the haunting tale of a poop that was never flushed. If you’re afraid of gross-out fun, I warn you to look away: this spooky dookie might make you giggle, it might get you in the Halloween spirit, but it will not stop until someone. gets. flushed!
“A Flower for Frankenstein’s Monster” is a silly sonnet about a flower-loving monster who wants to enjoy his garden. There’s only one problem: he can’t keep his plants alive! Will Frankenstein’s monster find a way to use his green thumb? Will his garden forever be pushing up daisies? Watch the video to find out!
Write a Spooky Poem ✏️
Writing Prompt for Kids: Monster Feast!
Imagine if every monster was invited to a big Halloween potluck—a fancy, fearsome monster feast! Write a poem about a dish that monsters will gobble up at the banquet. What kind of casserole does Frankenstein’s monster cobble together? What mouthwatering dessert does Dracula serve? Make it delectable, make it disgusting, make the monsters come back for seconds!
Here’s an example I wrote to help get you started:
Find More Spooky Poems 🕷️
Introducing Ticket to Scary-ness on the Poetry Express
Back in 2025 the poet Tim Pointon and friends created scaryness.com, a website dedicated to “scary poems for children (with a sprinkle of fun).” The site has grown into a gold mine (or ghoul mine?) of spooky children’s poetry written by poets from around the world!
You’ll find poems categorized by themes, including Black Cats and Broomsticks, Historical Horrors (poems about strange and gruesome historical events), haunted Christmas poems, and more.
Check out the latest ticket titled Halloween Cancelled—poems imagining all the silly and scary reasons why Halloween might suddenly vanish! Here you can read my own poems “Frightfully Polite” and “Nice Costume” alongside plenty more spooktacular poems!
Little Thoughts Press: In the Dark issue
Just in time for Halloween, the wonderful children’s magazine Little Thoughts Press has a new issue based around the theme “In the Dark.” Little Thoughts Press is a literary magazine for and by kids, founded and edited by the poet Claire Taylor. This new issue dedicated to nighttime wonders “shines a spotlight on all the magic and mystery that hides in the dark.” I’m proud to have a reverso poem titled “Flashlight Tag” included in this issue!
Thank you for reading! You can find more of my poems for kids here on my website or here on YouTube. If you’d like to support the blog, consider ordering a zine, buying me a coffee, or signing up for my newsletter. Happy haunting and, as always, happy reading!
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