6. The Monsters' Monster

Words & pictures by Patrick McDonnell

Little, Brown Books, 2012

$16.99, ages 3-6, 40 pages

When three bitty monsters try to create the biggest, meanest monster ever, their plan goes awry and they're left with a monster who giggles instead.

In this adorable picture book by Mutts creator Patrick McDonnell, Grouch, Grump and Gloom 'n' Doom live for being bad, but is that all there is to life?

They think so and work at it with a passion. The trio lives in a dark monster castle on a dark monster mountain that sits above a monster-fearing village, and they have big monster thoughts.

They smash things, huff and puff about nothing, and say, "No!" as much as they can.

They also argue about who complains the loudest and who is the most miserable. And they always seal their arguments with a brawl.

The only problem is that it's never clear in the end who is worse.

So one day they decide to create a giant, hideous monster that they can all agree is the scariest of them all.

6. The Monstrous Book of Monsters

Written by Libby Hamilton

Illustrated by Jonny Duddle
and Aleksei Bitskoff

Templar, 2011

$17.99, ages 5-8, 20 pages

As the scariest night of all nights approaches, here's a book to confirm your children's worst fears: the existence of monsters all around them.

Dr. Thomas Jelly, the book's fictional narrator, warns readers, "Don't be fooled," things do go bump in the night and all those sensible people who claim they don't, had better wise up fast…or else.

Just look at the bite taken out of the cover of Jelly's book -- and what about that big jiggling eye at the top? If that's not enough, Jelly offers plenty of flaps and fold-outs to get skin tingling (or should we say, get readers giggling?).