Halloween stories for kids that are not scary do exist, and here they are: 5 short, original tales, about a minute each, starring Pigúiça, Fofuxo and their dinosaur friends in costume in the Magic Garden. They work for ages 3 to 8, at bedtime or on party day, and each one ends with a question to talk about.
How to tell them so they shine
Lower your voice. A soft, secret-telling voice makes children lean in, and they will notice the scare is only pretend.
Pause before the “Boo.” The silence is half the fun. Then let your voice out and laugh along.
Give each character a voice. Pigúiça can be bubbly, Fofuxo clumsy, the dinosaurs big and wobbly.
Wait for the answer. When you reach the final question, stay quiet and listen. It is the best part of the night.
The 5 stories
1. The Little Witch Who Flew Low
In the Magic Garden, Pigúiça put on her pointy hat and grabbed her broom. She was a husky witch with bright blue eyes, and she had one dream: to fly.
She climbed on the broom, closed her eyes and said, “Zooom!” The broom rose a hand’s width off the ground. Just one hand’s width. And stopped.
“Huh,” said Pigúiça. “I wanted to fly to the moon.”
But flying low had its perks. She zipped over the daisies, tickled the tips of the grass and waved to a ladybug hitching a ride on a leaf. Fofuxo trotted beside her and hardly had to try to keep up.
When they reached the big tree, Pigúiça smiled. Nobody sees flowers up close from high above, and from down here she saw every single one.
“Tomorrow I will practice one more hand’s width,” she decided. “Today I like it just like this.”
Let’s talk: if you had a magic broom, what would you like to see up close?
2. The Little Ghost Who Could Not See
Fofuxo wanted to be a ghost. He grabbed a white sheet, cut two little holes and put it on. But the holes landed far from his eyes, and he could hardly see a thing.
“Boo!” he said to a tree. The tree, of course, did not budge.
“Boo!” he tried again, this time at a rock. The rock did not care either.
Pigúiça arrived giggling softly. “Fofuxo, the holes are on your cheeks.”
She fixed the sheet ever so carefully, and Fofuxo’s eyes popped out, round and full of joy.
“Now we are talking!” he said. “Boo!”
Pigúiça jumped a pretend-scared jump and burst out laughing. They laughed so hard the sheet swayed like a cloud.
The cutest little ghost in the garden learned that the best way to give a scare is to make everybody laugh.
Let’s talk: what would your funniest “boo” sound like?
3. The Pumpkin That Smiled
One sunny day, Pigúiça and Fofuxo were given a huge pumpkin, round as a full moon.
“Let’s scoop it out!” said Fofuxo, and plunged in the spoon.
Plop! Out came seeds, long stringy bits and a sweet little smell. Pigúiça sorted the seeds into a bowl, one by one, while Fofuxo ended up with a bright orange nose.
A grown-up made the cuts carefully, because knives are for grown-ups, and the two friends drew the smile. Inside the pumpkin they placed a little battery lantern.
When night came, the pumpkin lit up with a crooked, cozy smile.
“It looks like it is laughing at us,” said Fofuxo.
“That is because it is happy,” answered Pigúiça, and she gently touched her nose to it.
Then they saved the seeds to plant in spring. The proud pumpkin kept on smiling all night long.
Let’s talk: what face would you draw on your pumpkin?
