Peko Pal
The Ghost Who Couldn't Say Boo
A very small, very polite ghost named Mallow can only manage a tiny boo and a hiccup. When a nervous new girl moves into the old house on Lantern Hill, the two help each other find out what they are good at.
- Ages
- 4–8
- Length
- 29 min, 6 chapters
- Feel
- Gentle
- Wi-Fi to play
- Not needed
Why parents pick it
A cozy, funny Halloween story about a ghost who is too gentle to be scary and a new girl who is a little afraid of her new home. It suits young listeners because the spooky parts turn out to be creaky stairs, a cat and a friendly ghost, and the story is on the children's side the whole way through.
Good fit if your child…
- likes Halloween but gets nervous in the dark or in new places
- enjoys silly, kind characters and a hiccuping ghost
- has ever felt different from everyone else and wondered what they are good at
Listen to a preview
From Chapter 1
At the very top of the old gray house on Lantern Hill, there was an attic. In the attic lived a ghost named Mallow.
Mallow was small. Mallow was about as big as a pillow, and about as fluffy, too. When Mallow floated through the dark, a soft white glow floated along beside, like a night-light that had learned to drift.
Mallow was also very polite. Mallow said please to the dust and thank you to the cobwebs. When a spider walked across the rafters, Mallow said, "Excuse me, after you."
But tonight was not a polite night. Tonight was practice night.
"Halloween is almost here," said a deep, rumbly voice. "Everyone out to the oak tree!"
That was Old Gus. Old Gus was the biggest ghost on the whole hill, and his boo could rattle windows. Every year, on Halloween night, the ghosts of Lantern Hill floated out over the rooftops and said BOO. It was an old and happy tradition. Nobody got hurt. People just shivered, and then they laughed, and then they ate more candy.
What happens
Mallow is a tiny, polite ghost who lives in the attic of an old house on Lantern Hill. Every Halloween the ghosts of the hill float out to say a mighty BOO, but Mallow can only manage a whisper and a hiccup. Then a nervous girl named Nora moves in downstairs, and she is not sure about the creaky stairs, the ticking walls or the dark lanes.
The two become friends and help each other. Mallow explains what every noise in the house really is, Nora makes a ghost costume that glows from the inside, and on Halloween night, when the wind blows out every jack-o'-lantern on the hill, Mallow discovers what a very small ghost is good at. Six chapters, about half an hour in all.
For the grown-up
What they get from it. Children hear a friendly way to take apart a scary house: give each noise a name and it becomes less strange. They also see that people can be good at different things, and that a shy child or a quiet ghost can still be the one who helps the most.
Before you play it. It stays gentle from start to finish. There is a dark street and a gust of wind that blows out the pumpkins, and some younger kids cry for a moment, but nobody is hurt, no one is a villain, and a glowing friend lights the way. The ghosts are all kind.
Ask your child afterwards:
- What do you think each creak in your own house might be saying?
- Why did Mallow's light matter more than a big boo on Halloween night?
- What is something small that you are good at?
Chapters
- A Tiny BooA very small ghost tries to boo at the oak tree, and somebody new arrives at the old house.
- The Girl DownstairsA girl with a flashlight, a cat with a bent ear, and a hiccup behind the curtain.
- What the Stairs SayEvery creak on the stairs gets a name, and Nora shares what she is worried about.
- The Best CostumeFour nights of practice, a sheet with two eyeholes, and a costume that glows.
- The Wind on Lantern HillThe wind comes down Lantern Hill and every pumpkin goes dark.
- The Best Boo of AllThe ghosts of the hill have something to say to Mallow, and one more boo is waiting at bedtime.
Themes
Common questions
- What age is The Ghost Who Couldn't Say Boo for?
- It is written for ages 4–8.
- How long is The Ghost Who Couldn't Say Boo?
- 6 chapters, about 29 min in all.
- Is The Ghost Who Couldn't Say Boo scary?
- It stays gentle from start to finish. There is a dark street and a gust of wind that blows out the pumpkins, and some younger kids cry for a moment, but nobody is hurt, no one is a villain, and a glowing friend lights the way. The ghosts are all kind.
- 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.