Is it normal for my child to enjoy being a little scared?

Yes. In a survey of 1,600 Danish families, 93% of children enjoyed at least one activity that's a little frightening, and the enjoyment grew with age. What matters is control: being able to close the book and knowing it ends well.

What age is Room on the Broom for?

BookTrust gives Room on the Broom an interest age of 3 to 6 and a reading age of 6+. It's a picture book to read aloud, with a friendly witch and a dragon who provides just enough fright.

Which witch books for a 6 year old?

The Worst Witch has an interest age of 6+ and a reading age of 7+ according to BookTrust: a school story with a clumsy young witch, good for reading aloud at six and alone from seven.

Theme · Witches

Witch books for children: when a fright becomes fun

2 checked books · 4 sources

Many children know perfectly well that witches don't exist, and are scared of them anyway. Here's what research says about that double knowledge, why a little chosen fear is fun for most children, and two witch books checked with their age, from three to seven.

When a child knows it's made up

The idea that children learn at around five that fantasy and reality are different is too simple. Woolley and Ghossainy describe the distinction as a gradual, context-dependent process: it starts at around two, when children use words like “real” and “pretend”, and continues into primary school.¹

In practice, a four-year-old can know perfectly well that the witch doesn't exist, and be scared anyway. Both at once is normal.

And many children enjoy a fright. A survey of 1,600 Danish parents of children aged one to seventeen found that 93% of children enjoy at least one activity that's a little frightening. The enjoyment grows with age.² It's chosen fear, under control, with a known ending.

So the difference between fun and too much lies less in age than in control. A child who can close the book whenever they want, and knows it will all end well, is happy to be scared.

Two witch books, from 3 to 7

The age comes from BookTrust and is named for each book.

Room on the Broom
Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler · Macmillan Children's Books · BookTrust: interest age 3 to 6, reading age 6+
A kind witch keeps losing things, and each time an animal climbs aboard her broom, until a dragon appears. Just enough fright for a three-year-old, in rhyme, with friends who come to the rescue.
The Worst Witch
Jill Murphy · Puffin, 1974 · BookTrust: interest age 6+, reading age 7+
Mildred Hubble is the clumsiest pupil at the academy for witches. For the child of six or seven who wants a witch story they can soon read alone, with spells going wrong on every page.

Halloween, and choosing the right witch

Witches belong to Halloween, which has its roots in Ireland. Its roots are in Samhain, a festival that marked the start of winter; people wore disguises to keep spirits away.³⁴ Our page on Halloween has more.

Kind witch or scary witch? In the two books above, the witches are on the child's side: kind, clumsy, a little chaotic. In traditional fairy tales, the witch is a threat. For a three-year-old, a friendly witch and a happy ending are the safer choice; older children often enjoy the real fright of the old tales.

What that changes when you buy. Look at the ending before you read. If a child can see from the start that the witch is funny or kind, the fright stays fun.

Or a story of their own

If your child should be the hero

Your child meets a witch who has lost her spell and helps her find it, using something your child knows better than she does.
On an autumn night, your child goes with a young witch to her first gathering and discovers she's just as nervous.
A spell turns the house into a maze, and your child has to find the way out before sunrise, with a black cat as their only guide.

Create a book about witches

Frequently asked questions

At what age can children tell fantasy from reality?: Gradually. Research describes a process that starts at around two, when children use words like “real” and “pretend”, and continues into primary school. A four-year-old can know the witch doesn't exist and be scared anyway.
Is it normal for my child to enjoy being a little scared?: Yes. In a survey of 1,600 Danish families, 93% of children enjoyed at least one activity that's a little frightening, and the enjoyment grew with age. What matters is control: being able to close the book and knowing it ends well.
What age is Room on the Broom for?: BookTrust gives Room on the Broom an interest age of 3 to 6 and a reading age of 6+. It's a picture book to read aloud, with a friendly witch and a dragon who provides just enough fright.
Which witch books for a 6 year old?: The Worst Witch has an interest age of 6+ and a reading age of 7+ according to BookTrust: a school story with a clumsy young witch, good for reading aloud at six and alone from seven.

Sources

1.Woolley, J. D. and Ghossainy, M. E. (2013): Revisiting the Fantasy-Reality Distinction, Children as Naïve Skeptics. Child Development 84(5), 1496-1510.What it confirms: The distinction between fantasy and reality as a gradual, context-dependent process, starting at around two and continuing into primary school.
2.Taranu, M., Clasen, M., Rosas, F. E., Dodd, H. and Andersen, M. M. (2025): Recreational Fear Across Childhood.What it confirms: A survey of 1,600 Danish parents of children aged 1 to 17: 93% of children enjoy at least one frightening activity; the enjoyment grows with age.
3.Ireland.ie: Halloween.What it confirms: Ireland as the home of Halloween, with its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain.
4.Wake Forest University Press: The Irish origins of Halloween, five fun facts about Samhain.What it confirms: Samhain marked the start of winter; disguises to ward off spirits.

Other themes: Animals, Autumn, Dinosaurs, Rabbits, Moles, Elephants, Unicorns and Fire engines. Read also: Fear of the dark. Or children's books by age, growing up, topic by topic and all the illustration styles.