Spooky Tale (An Abrams Trail Tale)

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Author(s)

Sesame Street

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Stella Hong

Publisher

Abrams Books for Young Readers

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

July 21, 2026

ISBN

978-1419787737

Buy This Book

A gently spooky board book adventure inside the Count’s castle starring beloved Sesame Street characters, with illustrations by Stella Hong!

Follow Elmo, Abby, Grover, and more Sesame Street friends as they explore the Count’s castle! Discover fun rooms, travel through spooky hallways, and see if you can find all the hidden surprises!

Young readers will delight in special features like clever die–cuts with flaps to lift and peek through, and an exciting quadruple gatefold that unfolds to reveal a fun and spooky surprise!

Editor review

1 review

Follow and count along

July 26, 2026

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Need an engaging Halloween board book for the youngest readers? Join Elmo and his friends as they cross the moat and visit the Count's castle. They see Cookie Monster baking treats in the kitchen, go up many flights of creaky wooden stairs, and pick out cheerful costumes to wear. They investigate a music room, a library ("where all the magic happens"!), the bats' bedroom, a playroom, and even a bowling alley! There's a dance floor and a huge Halloween party at the end, with four flaps that fold out and show all of the characters celebrating.

Good Points

The flaps are part of the fun of the Trail Tales, and allow the characters to climb high into the attic and slide down into the bowling alley. There are also a lot of cut outs that show characters peaking through from one scene into another. I know at eighteen months, my grandson is a HUGE fan of turning pages, so he will have a great time opening up all of the flaps. Older children will enjoy building skills related to anticipating the characters' next steps, and may be able to figure out the numbers on the last pages better than I was.

I'm not sure how many children watch Sesame Street, although episodes do seem to be available on the PBS website. I was in the demographic for the first programs in 1969, so it's good to see the franchise still around. Elmo, who premiered when my own children were watching the show, seems to be the most major character, along with Abby Cadabby. Still, old timers like Big Bird, Oscar, and the Count still play a big part in the fun.

Halloween is almost as exciting as Christmas to young readers, who will be glad to add this interactive Halloween adventure to their reading list along with Willis' Little Ghost's Summerween, Cummins' Creepy Sheepy, McClean's Can You Find a Black Cat, and Burton's One Happy Haunted House.