Peko Pal
All About Halloween
A friendly guide to where Halloween came from and how people celebrate it today. Hear about old bonfires, jack-o'-lanterns, trick-or-treating, costumes, and holidays around the world.
- Ages
- 6–9
- Length
- 41 min, 8 chapters
- Type
- Nonfiction
- Feel
- Gentle
- Wi-Fi to play
- Not needed
Why parents pick it
A friendly, screen-free nonfiction tour of where Halloween customs came from, told in eight short chapters. It suits curious kids who ask why we do the things we do.
Good fit if your child…
- asks where holidays and traditions come from
- likes real facts about animals, food, and history
- gets nervous about spooky decorations and wants them explained
Listen to a preview
From Chapter 1
Hello, and welcome. Find a cosy spot, because we are going on a tour. It is a tour through one of the most fun nights of the whole year.
Can you guess which night? Here is a hint. On this night, people carve glowing faces into pumpkins. Kids dress up as dragons, astronauts, and cats. And neighbors hand out candy at the door.
That's right. We are talking about Halloween.
Halloween happens every year on October thirty-first. That's the last day of October, just when the leaves are falling and the evenings are getting dark early. If you live where autumn is chilly, you might need a jacket for it. If you live somewhere warm, you might trick-or-treat in shorts. Either way, it is a night to be out with your neighbors, enjoying the dark and the lights.
What happens
A warm narrator takes listeners on a tour of Halloween, from an ancient Irish harvest festival to the trick-or-treaters at the door today. Along the way they hear about soul cakes, the folk tale of Stingy Jack, turnip lanterns, costumes, and holidays in other countries.
This is a nonfiction audiobook. Where historians disagree, the narrator says so, and the spookier symbols like bats and spiders come with real facts that make them friendlier.
For the grown-up
What they get from it. Kids learn the history behind jack-o'-lanterns, trick-or-treating, and costumes, and hear how other countries remember loved ones in the fall. They also pick up a few simple Halloween safety habits.
Before you play it. Nothing here is frightening. The Stingy Jack folk tale mentions the Devil briefly in a sly, old-fashioned way, and Día de los Muertos is explained respectfully as its own holiday.
Ask your child afterwards:
- Which part of Halloween's history surprised you most?
- Why do you think people put on costumes?
- What would you put on an ofrenda to remember someone you love?
Chapters
- What Is Halloween?Why is it called Halloween, and what does the name really mean?
- Long Ago, SamhainA hilltop bonfire in Ireland, long, long ago.
- All Hallows' EveHow a small spiced cake and a song at the door may have started it all.
- The Jack-o'-LanternA folk tale about Stingy Jack, and why the first lanterns were turnips.
- Trick-or-TreatHow kids ended up knocking on doors, and the orange box that helps other children.
- Costumes and Spooky SymbolsReal facts about bats, spiders, and black cats.
- Halloween Around the WorldBonfires in Ireland, marigolds in Mexico, and costume fun in Japan.
- Pumpkins, Candy and Fun FactsGiant pumpkins, candy corn, and happy tips for the big night.
Themes
Common questions
- What age is All About Halloween for?
- It is written for ages 6–9.
- How long is All About Halloween?
- 8 chapters, about 41 min in all.
- Is All About Halloween scary?
- Nothing here is frightening. The Stingy Jack folk tale mentions the Devil briefly in a sly, old-fashioned way, and Día de los Muertos is explained respectfully as its own holiday.
- Does it need Wi-Fi?
- No. Once it is on the Pal, it plays without Wi-Fi.
Playing it on the Pal
Press the button to play or pause. Tap left or right to skip back or ahead 15 seconds, double-tap for the previous or next chapter, or triple-tap left to start the book over. Up and down switch to another book. It picks up where you left off.