Halloween
Halloween was first observed more than 2,000 years ago in what we now know as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and France. This ancient festival marked the beginning of the dark winter season. Today Halloween is a popular holiday celebrated around the world with parades, parties, costumes, games, pumpkin carving, decorations, and lots of candy.* Get ready for your celebration at home or school with these books, encyclopedia articles, and websites filled with haunting history, fun facts, and clever craft ideas for the Halloween season!
*Bannatyne, Lesley P. "Halloween." World Book Online. 2007. World Book, Inc. 12 Oct. 2007.
At the Library
Youth fiction books and movies about Halloween- Halloween costumes, decorations, poems, recipes, and books about Halloween history
- Ghost stories for Halloween
- Encyclopedia and magazine articles about Halloween
Available from home for Skokie Public Library cardholders
- The New Book of Knowledge
Type "halloween" into the Find it Fast! box to find articles about Halloween, bats, ghosts, planning a party, and much more. - Searchasaurus
Type "halloween" into the search box to find hundreds of Halloween articles, stories, and activities. - SIRS Discoverer
Search by keyword to find Halloween articles, activities, and stories for kids of all ages. - World Book Online
Type "halloween" into the search box to find an article about Halloween history, customs, traditions, and how the holiday is celebrated around the world.
On the Web
...fun and frolic
- Candy USA! - All About Candy from the National Confectioners Association
- Amaze your friends and family with candy facts and trivia! Learn the history of chocolate, jelly beans, lollipops, licorice, cotton candy, chewing gum, marshmallows, and candy bars and find out how they are made. A special Halloween section features holiday activities, crafts, recipes, and candy safety tips.
- Halloween on the Web
- Get ready for Halloween with ghost stories, trick-or-treat safety tips, make-up hints, games, and scary music.
...history and folklore
-
Halloween:
The Fantasy and Folklore of All Hallows from the American Folklife
Center at the Library of Congress - Folklorist Jack Santino explores the origins and traditions of Halloween. The site also includes a bibliography on Halloween and related topics compiled by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
- The History Of Halloween from the History Channel
- Learn the "true history" of Halloween on this companion website to the History Channel's Haunted History of Halloween television special. Features include pumpkin facts, ghost stories, Halloween activities, recipes, and celebrations around the world.
- Time for Kids: Spooky Schoolhouse
- Learn all about the history and fun of Halloween! Dare to explore the Spooky Schoolhouse to find information about the history of Halloween, biographies of creepy characters, recipes for scary snacks, and a trick-or-treat trivia game.
- Today in History: October 31 from the Library of Congress American Memory
- Read real-life stories about Halloween tricks, treats, and experiences throughout history from the people who lived them!
...pumpkins and carving
- Halloween Pumpkin Carving Tips from National Geographic Kids
- Make your own cool pumpkins and get ready for Halloween with these carving tips, patterns, and Halloween activities.
-
How
to Carve a Pumpkin from eHow.com - Step-by-step instructions for how to carve a pumpkin. Includes photos, tips from experienced pumpkin carvers, and other ideas for decorating pumpkins.
- Pumpkin Carving 101
- Get ready for Halloween with these illustrated tips for choosing, carving, lighting, and photographing your holiday pumpkins.
- The Pumpkin Patch: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Pumpkins!
- The name says it all! This website features all kinds of fun facts, information, and just about anything you ever wanted to know about pumpkins.
- Pumpkingutter.com
- Artist Scott Cummins shares his gallery of pumpkins that he has carved look like the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, Elvis Presley, the characters from the Wizard of Oz, and many more. A Youth Services staff favorite!
- Pumpkins and More from the University of Illinois Extension
- Find information about pumpkin history, varieties, nutrition, recipes, activities, and a directory of pumpkin festivals around the country. The site is also available en Español.