If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
by Renee Kirchner, Contributing Editor
Everyone is familiar with Halloween customs and traditions today. Children dress up in costumes and go door to door asking for treats. However, this tradition is fairly recent. How did this unusual custom originate?
The word Halloween has its origins in the Catholic Church. Halloween is derived from All Hallows Eve which is the night before All Saints Day celebrated on November 1. The Catholics used the day to honor of the Saints in heaven. It was a very significant day during the church calendar year.
During the 5th century BC in Celtic Ireland, the celebration of Halloween was observed on October 31. This was the day that summer ended and it is when the Celtic New Year was celebrated. The spirits of everyone who had died throughout the year would wander around on that night seeking bodies to possess. So, the Celts would extinguish the fires in their homes to make their houses cold. Next, they would dress up in costume and parade around the neighborhood to frighten away spirits.
The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated with a ninth-century custom called ‘souling.’ On All Souls Day, November 2, Christians would walk from village to village asking for “soul cakes.” These cakes were made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The beggars promised to say prayers on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors.
Irish immigrants brought the custom of Halloween to America in the 1840’s. This is when the Irish were fleeing their country due to a potato famine. They used to play pranks on Halloween such as tipping over outhouses and taking the hinges off of fence gates.
Here are some stories for children to read to learn more about the history of Halloween:
The Story of Halloween by Carol Greene. HarperCollins Publishers, September 2005.
This children’s book explains the traditions and the history behind the holiday of Halloween that we celebrate today. The holiday began more than 2,000 years ago, but it did not resemble our modern day celebration. This book also contains Halloween riddles and pumpkin art ideas.
A Halloween Reader: Poems, Stories, and Plays from Halloweens Past by Lesley Pratt. Pelican Publishing Company, Inc., August 2004.
This anthology contains stories and poems of writers from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. Some of the stories are joyous and others are solemn. Some of the featured writers include: William Butler Yeats, Robert Burns, and James Joyce.
Halloween by Jennifer Blizin Gillis. Heinemann Library, October 2003.
This book begins by showing readers the Halloween they know and then explains the history of this holiday. Kids will learn that candy was not involved in early celebrations of Halloween. Americans have put their own spin on a holiday with Celtic and Roman history. Colorful photographs complement the text.
Carol Greene Halloween history of halloween Jennifer Blizin Gillis Lessley PrattCarol Greene Halloween history of halloween Jennifer Blizin Gillis Lessley Pratt
Join us for today’s Halloween segment of Book Bites for Kids when our guest will be Rosemary Clement-Moore, author of Prom Dates from Hell.
Porcupine is the story of twelve-year-old tomboy Jack Cooper (or Jacqueline, as her mother insists on calling her). 
Many aspiring children’s writers - and even published children’s writers - find critique groups to be helpful.
Title: Jazz Baby
Reviewed by Amy Seim, Picture Book Reviewer for the National Writing for Children Center
“As music director of the current The Playdate Kids Musical Series, Tim Friedlander provides appealing music for ears of all ages. He received his Bachelors degree in Music Performance with a Minor in Psychology from Western Washington University and is currently working on his Master’s degree in Music Education at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA.
Last night, author Angela Durden presented an interesting and informative teleclass for members of the 
Want to learn the true story of Smokey the Bear?
Lazaros says, “My children taught me to pay attention to my world as if I was a child viewing it in awe and wonderment. These insights are captured in the book. Its message is that children open our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our hearts to feel when sophistication hinders our perception of the world.”