Families who loved My Ghost Needs a New Bum! by Dawn McMillan often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Reach for this book when your child is in a 'silly' phase and needs a high-energy, laugh-out-loud story to take the edge off the spooky season. It is an ideal choice for children who might find traditional Halloween stories a bit too frightening, as it pivots from ghosts and shadows to pure, slapstick body humor that feels safe and hilarious. The story follows a young boy who notices his ghost friend has lost his 'Boo!' and his 'spooky' because of a very specific problem: he needs a new bum. Through a series of creative and absurd attempts to help his friend, the boy demonstrates loyalty and problem-solving in the funniest way possible. Parents will appreciate the rhythmic, rhyming text that makes for an engaging read-aloud session. While the subject matter is cheeky (literally), the underlying message is one of friendship and helping a peer feel like themselves again. It is perfectly pitched for the preschool and early elementary crowd who find 'bums' to be the height of comedy.