Scary stories for kids

Peabody has 54 scary stories for kids to read, from level 0 to level 18, and 12 not-too-scary stories to tell out loud. Each one to read carries a mark a grown-up can check first, and each one to tell has a scare dial and a gentle ending. Free through 2026, with no sign-up.

Scary stories to read, at a glance

The cards above open each story. A level says how hard the words are, from 0 for a first reader to 18. It does not say how frightening a story is.

What scary means here: a note for grown-ups

A scary story on Peabody has a ghost, a monster, a witch, a goblin, a dark place or a tense night in it. It is told short and plain, and it ends with the danger over. Shivers, nothing gruesome.

What is never in one: anything gruesome, cruelty shown in detail, anyone harming themselves, romance, drugs, swearing, real brands or real people, a stunt a child might copy, or anything that asks a child to keep a secret from a grown-up. Where an old tale has a fight or a loss in it, it happens off the page or in one plain sentence. Every Peabody story is checked against these limits before anyone reads it. Each story to read here carries the library's mark for a story with a scare in it, one step up from gentle, apart from one funny story marked gentle. The two stronger marks are not open to visitors, so no story with them is on this page. Read the first page yourself if you are not sure.

Scary stories to tell out loud

6 are old folk tales, retold in Peabody's own words; the other 6 were written for this page. Pick a dial in the box above, tap a story to open it big for reading aloud, and press Lights low to read it in the dark.

The scare dial: 😊 Giggly is silly, with no scare at all. Fine for preschoolers; 😬 Shivery is quiet and creepy, with a gentle way out; 😱 Jump! is builds up slowly, then ends with a shout and a laugh.

How to tell a scary story

1. Know the ending first. Read the story once to yourself, so you can look at your listeners instead of the page.
2. Turn the lights down, not off. A flashlight under your chin is plenty. Use a flashlight or an LED candle, never a real flame. LED tea lights hold button batteries. A grown-up checks the battery door is screwed shut, and never uses one a child can open. For the youngest, use a small flashlight that takes AA or AAA batteries.
3. Go slow, then slower. The scare comes from the pauses. Slow down and get quieter as the story builds.
4. Give the voices a voice. A squeaky teeny-tiny voice, a rumbly giant, a whispering pumpkin. Kids remember the voices.
5. Add sounds. Knock on the floor, scratch a table, clomp your feet, whoosh like the wind. Let listeners make the sounds with you.
6. For a jump, warn the youngest. Say "this one ends with a shout" before you start. A scare a child is ready for is a fun scare.
7. End with a laugh. After the last line, smile, laugh, or tell the soft ending. Kids should go to bed with the funny part, not the scary one.

Too scary? A note for grown-ups

Every story here was written for a kindergartner to hear: no one gets hurt, there are no weapons, nothing gruesome and no film monsters. Still, children are different, and the same child is different at bedtime. Start with a giggly story for children under 5. Tell a shivery or jump story only when a child asks for one, and offer the soft ending if a face looks worried. Stop any time a child wants to stop, and turn the lights up. Telling a story in daylight first, so the child knows how it ends, takes most of the fear out. For a child who is frightened afterwards, talk about which parts were made up, and finish with something silly.

😊 Giggly stories (not scary at all)

Silly stories with no scare in them, good for preschoolers and anyone who would rather laugh.

The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Kids

😊 Giggly · Ages 3 and up · About 4 minutes to tell

In the attic of a tall old house lived a little ghost named Wisp. Wisp was white and floaty and soft as a pillowcase. And Wisp was afraid of just one thing in the whole wide world: kids.

"Kids are so loud," Wisp whispered to the attic spider. "They shout and they stomp and they slam doors. And on Halloween they come knocking with bags and buckets. What if one of them wants to take me home in a bucket?"

So every Halloween night, Wisp hid inside an old trunk with the lid shut tight, and waited for the knocking to stop.

But this Halloween, a new family had moved into the house. The family had a girl named June, and June had a costume. It was a white sheet with two eye holes cut out. June was going trick-or-treating as a ghost.

Before she went out, June climbed up to the attic to practice her spooky voice where no one could hear. "Wooo," said June. "Wooooooo!"

Inside the trunk, Wisp peeked out through the keyhole. There, in the middle of the attic, stood another ghost. A ghost wearing sneakers.

Wisp had never met another ghost before. Slowly, slowly, the lid of the trunk creaked open. "Excuse me," said Wisp, in a teeny voice. "Are you a ghost too?"

June jumped so high that her sheet fell off. "Eep!" said June. "Eep!" said Wisp, and zipped behind a lampshade.

Then they both peeked out, and they both began to giggle. "You're a real ghost," said June. "And you're a real kid," said Wisp. "You're not very scary." "Neither are you," said June.

That night, two ghosts went trick-or-treating: one in sneakers, and one who floated a little bit off the ground. June did the knocking. Wisp did the "Wooo." And at every door, the grown-ups said it was the floatiest costume they had ever seen.

When they got home, June shared her candy, and Wisp shared the attic. And Wisp was never afraid of kids again. Well. Only the very loud ones. Just a little.

Teller's tips for The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Kids:

• Give Wisp a tiny, wobbly voice and June a big, bold one.
• On "Eep!" say it twice, high and then higher, and hide your face behind your hands for Wisp.
• Ask your listeners what they would say if they met a shy ghost.

A Peabody story, written for this page.

The Pumpkin That Whispered

😊 Giggly · Ages 4 and up · About 3 minutes to tell

On the porch of a yellow house sat a big round pumpkin with a crooked grin. Theo had drawn the grin himself, and a grown-up had carved it, and Theo was very proud of it.

That night, after the lights were out, Theo heard something from the porch. A tiny voice. "Psst."

Theo pulled his blanket up to his chin. "Psst," said the voice again. "Hey. You. Up there."

Theo crept down the stairs, past the coat hooks, to the front door. He opened it just a crack. The pumpkin was glowing, and its crooked grin was moving. "Psst," it whispered. "Knock, knock."

Theo blinked. "Who's there?" he whispered back. "Boo," whispered the pumpkin. "Boo who?" said Theo. "Aw, don't cry," said the pumpkin. "It's only a joke!"

Theo giggled so hard he had to sit down on the doormat. So the pumpkin told him another one. "What game do pumpkins play? Squash!"

"I've been sitting out here all day thinking them up," said the pumpkin, "and there's no one to tell them to. The squirrels never laugh."

So every night until Halloween, Theo tiptoed down after bedtime for one joke. Just one. And every night, the pumpkin's crooked grin got a little bit wider.

On Halloween night, the trick-or-treaters couldn't work out why the pumpkin on the yellow porch looked so pleased with itself. But Theo knew.

Teller's tips for The Pumpkin That Whispered:

• Whisper the pumpkin's lines. Say "Psst" crisp and close, right by a listener's ear.
• Stop after "Knock, knock" and let a listener say "Who's there?"
• Swap in any joke your family loves. The pumpkin isn't fussy.

A Peabody story, written for this page.

The Bat Who Lost His Squeak

😊 Giggly · Ages 3 and up · About 3 minutes to tell

Pip was a little brown bat who lived under a bridge with his whole bat family. Every night, the bats flew out to catch bugs for supper. And every bat flew with a squeak.

Bats call out tiny squeaks as they fly, most of them too high for people to hear. The squeaks bounce off trees and houses and back to the bats' big ears, and that is how a bat finds its way in the dark.

But one night, Pip opened his mouth to squeak, and nothing came out. Not a peep. Not a squeak.

"Oh no," said Pip. "I've lost my squeak!" He flew out anyway. Bonk! He bumped into a tree. Boing! He bounced off a mailbox. Splash! He dipped his toes in a puddle.

He asked an owl. "Have you seen my squeak?" "Whoo?" said the owl. "Not here. I only have a hoot."

He asked a cat on a fence. "Have you seen my squeak?" "Mrrrow," said the cat. "Only a meow here."

He asked a pumpkin on a porch. The pumpkin just grinned, because this pumpkin didn't talk.

Pip was so tired that he hung upside down from a branch and gave a great big yawn. And right in the middle of the yawn, out popped a hiccup. HIC! And right behind the hiccup came... SQUEAK!

"My squeak!" said Pip. "It was stuck behind a hiccup all along!" Squeak, squeak, squeak, went Pip, all the way home, and he didn't bump into a single thing.

Teller's tips for The Bat Who Lost His Squeak:

• Make the bonk, boing and splash big, and bump one fist into your other hand each time.
• Do the owl and the cat sounds first, and let your listeners guess the animal before you say it.
• Do a huge yawn, a loud HIC, then a tiny squeak. Little ones love doing the squeak for you.

A Peabody story, written for this page.

Wait Till Martin Comes

😊 Giggly · Ages 5 and up · About 4 minutes to tell

Long ago, a traveller was walking home on a stormy night. The wind howled, the rain poured down, and he still had a long, long way to go. So when he saw an empty old house beside the road, he ran inside to wait for the storm to pass.

He found some dry sticks in the fireplace and made a cozy fire. He sat down in a creaky old chair and warmed his toes. "Ahh," he said. "This is much better."

Then the door creaked open, and in walked a cat. A gray cat, about the size of a cat. It sat down by the fire and looked at the traveller. The traveller looked at the cat. Neither of them said a thing.

Then the door creaked open again, and in walked another cat. This one was as big as a dog. It sat down by the fire, looked at the traveller, and then looked at the first cat. "Shall we start now?" it said. "No," said the first cat. "We must wait till Martin comes."

The traveller rubbed his eyes. Cats? Talking?

The door creaked open again, and in walked a cat as big as a pony. It sat down by the fire and looked at the traveller, and then at the other cats. "Shall we start now?" it said, in a deep, deep voice. "No," said the other two. "We must wait till Martin comes."

The door creaked open one more time, and in squeezed a cat as big as a cow. It sat down by the fire, and the whole floor creaked. It looked at the traveller. "Shall we start NOW?" it rumbled. "No," said all the others. "We must wait till Martin comes."

The traveller looked at the gray cat, and the dog-sized cat, and the pony-sized cat, and the cow-sized cat. And he wondered just how big Martin was going to be.

So he stood up, put on his hat, and walked to the door. "Good night, cats," he said. "When Martin comes, you tell him I couldn't wait!" And out he ran, through the wind and the rain, all the way home.

Teller's tips for Wait Till Martin Comes:

• Give every cat a bigger, deeper voice than the cat before it.
• Let your listeners say "Wait till Martin comes!" with you each time.
• Say the traveller's last line fast, as if he's already halfway out the door, and slap your knees for running feet.

Another way to end it: And just after he left, the door creaked open one last time, and in came Martin: the teeniest kitten you ever saw, carrying a tiny fiddle. "Sorry I'm late," said Martin. "Shall we start the singing?" And the cats sang by the fire all night long.

Where it comes from: An old American folk tale, told aloud in many versions for well over a hundred years. Retold in Peabody's own words, with a traveller caught in the rain and a singing kitten for the end.

😬 Shivery stories (a little creepy)

Quiet, creepy stories for about 5 and up. Each one has a gentle ending you can tell instead.

The Knock at the Door

😬 Shivery · Ages 5 and up · About 3 minutes to tell

It was a windy night, the night before Halloween. Mia was at her grandpa's house, and they were sitting by the window sharing a plate of apple slices.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Someone was at the door.

Grandpa opened it. No one was there. Just the dark, and the leaves blowing up the path. He shut the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Mia opened it this time. No one. Just the dark, and the porch swing creaking, and the leaves skittering about like little mice.

"Who's there?" Mia called out into the dark. No one answered. Only the wind. Whoooo.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Louder now. Grandpa and Mia looked at each other. Then together, very slowly, they opened the door. They looked down. They looked up.

No one. But this time, Mia saw it. The wind blew, whoooo, and the long old branch of the maple tree swung down and went knock, knock, knock against the door.

"It's only the wind!" Mia laughed. "The wind wants to come in!" "Well," said Grandpa, "it is the night before Halloween. Maybe the wind is practicing its trick-or-treating."

So Mia put an apple slice on the doorstep for the wind, and they shut the door and finished their apples. And in the morning, the apple slice was gone.

Grandpa said the wind must have blown it away. But Mia wasn't so sure.

Teller's tips for The Knock at the Door:

• Knock on the floor or a table for every knock, soft at first, then loud for the third time.
• Make the wind with a long, low "whoooo" whenever the door opens.
• Say the last line slowly and quietly, then raise your eyebrows and say nothing at all.

Too scary? For little ones, end it this way: Then Mia spotted a fat little squirrel on the porch rail, munching the last of the apple slice. "So that's who was trick-or-treating," she laughed.

A Peabody story, written for this page.

The Creaky Stair That Counted

😬 Shivery · Ages 6 and up · About 4 minutes to tell

Grandma's house is very old, and so is Grandma's stair. It has twelve steps, and every one of them creaks. Grandma says the old stair isn't creaking at all. She says it's counting.

Step on the first step, and it goes "Ooone." Step on the second, and it goes "Twooo." All the way up to the twelfth step, which goes "Twelve," in a long, tired creak.

One night, Sam was staying over at Grandma's, all alone in the little room at the end of the hall. The house was dark. The house was quiet. And Sam was nearly asleep.

Then, from the bottom of the stair, came a creak. "Ooone."

Sam opened one eye.

"Twooo." A pause. "Threee." Something was coming up the stair. Slowly.

"Fourrr... fiiive... siiix..." Sam pulled the blanket up. "Sevennn... eiiight... niiine..." Sam pulled it higher. "Tennn... elevennn..."

"Twelve."

Then nothing. Not a creak. Not a sound. Whatever it was, it was standing at the end of the stair.

Then came a soft shuffle down the hall. Shff. Shff. Shff. The door handle turned. The door swung open, cre-e-eak. And something small came in, and padded closer, and closer, right up to the side of the bed, and whispered:

"Thirteen."

Sam sat bolt upright. And there stood Sam's little cousin Ollie, in dinosaur pajamas, holding a stuffed rabbit. "The stair counted me," Ollie whispered. "So I counted your bed. Can I sleep in here?"

Teller's tips for The Creaky Stair That Counted:

• Creak out each number slowly, with a long gap between them. The gaps are the scary part.
• Get quieter as the counting climbs, so "Twelve" is barely a whisper.
• Say "Thirteen" right by a listener's ear, then switch to Ollie's small, sleepy voice for the end.

Too scary? For little ones, end it this way: So Sam scooted over, and Ollie climbed in with his rabbit. They tried counting sheep instead of stairs, and they were both asleep before they got to twenty.

A Peabody story, written for this page.

Tailypo

😬 Shivery · Ages 7 and up · About 6 minutes to tell

Way back in the hills, in a little log cabin at the edge of the woods, there lived an old man and his three hound dogs. Their names were Biscuit, Gravy and Little Bean.

One cold night, the old man sat by the fire eating a bowl of beans. All at once, something came creeping in through a crack in the wall. It was a creature about the size of a cat, with big shiny eyes and the longest, fluffiest tail you ever did see.

"Shoo!" said the old man, and he grabbed for it. The creature squeaked and scrambled back out through the crack, quick as a wink. But its long fluffy tail came loose, the way a lizard's tail can, and stayed behind in the old man's hand.

"Well, look at that," said the old man. He hung the fluffy tail on a nail by the fire, finished his beans, and went to bed.

In the middle of the night, he woke up. Something was scratching. Scritch, scratch. Scritch, scratch. Up the side of the cabin. And a thin little voice whispered, "Tailypo, tailypo. All I want is my tailypo."

The old man sat up in bed. "Here, Biscuit! Here, Gravy! Here, Little Bean!" The three hound dogs came bounding out from under the porch, barking and baying, and they chased that something far off into the woods. The old man went back to sleep.

The next night: scritch, scratch, scritch, scratch. "Tailypo, tailypo. All I want is my tailypo." Again the dogs chased it into the woods. This time they chased it so far that they didn't get home till morning, muddy and tired and happy.

The third night, the dogs were so worn out from all that chasing that they snored right through the scratching. Scritch, scratch. Scritch, scratch. The scratching came onto the porch. It came to the door. The door creaked open. And there at the foot of the bed were two big shiny eyes.

"Tailypo, tailypo," said the creature. "All I want is my tailypo."

The old man pulled the blanket up to his nose. "I don't have your tailypo," he fibbed.

The creature crept a little closer. "Tailypo, tailypo..." It crept up onto the bed. "Tailypo, TAILYPO..." It crept right up to the old man's nose, and it said: "YOU'VE GOT IT!"

Teller's tips for Tailypo:

• Scratch your fingernails on the floor or a table for every "scritch, scratch."
• Say "Tailypo, tailypo" in a thin, sing-song whisper, a little louder each night.
• On the last night, slow right down as the creature creeps closer: whisper, stop, then say the last line loud and fast.
• For little ones, stop before the last line and tell the soft ending instead.

Too scary? For little ones, end it this way: So the old man took the fluffy tail down off the nail and gave it back. The creature put it on, gave it a happy swish, and said thank you. After that it came by most nights for a bowl of beans, and Biscuit, Gravy and Little Bean let it sleep in a heap with them by the fire.

Where it comes from: A folk tale from the Appalachian mountains of the United States, told aloud for generations. Retold in Peabody's own words: in this telling no one is hurt, the tail comes loose the way a lizard's can, and the dogs always find their way home.

😱 Jump stories (a shout at the end)

Stories that build up slowly and end with the teller shouting the last line. The jump is the fun: everyone laughs right after. Each one has a soft ending too.

The Teeny-Tiny Woman

😱 Jump! · Ages 4 and up · About 3 minutes to tell

Once upon a time, there was a teeny-tiny woman who lived in a teeny-tiny house at the end of a teeny-tiny lane.

One teeny-tiny morning, the teeny-tiny woman put on her teeny-tiny hat and went out for a teeny-tiny walk. She came to a teeny-tiny gate, and she opened it with a teeny-tiny creak, and she went into a teeny-tiny field.

In the teeny-tiny field, beside a teeny-tiny log, she found a teeny-tiny bone. "Oh!" said the teeny-tiny woman. "That will make a teeny-tiny pot of soup for my teeny-tiny supper."

So she took the teeny-tiny bone home, and she put it in her teeny-tiny cupboard. And because she was a teeny-tiny bit tired, she went up her teeny-tiny stairs and got into her teeny-tiny bed.

She had been asleep for a teeny-tiny while when a teeny-tiny voice came from the teeny-tiny cupboard. It said: "Give me my bone."

The teeny-tiny woman was a teeny-tiny bit scared. So she hid her teeny-tiny head under her teeny-tiny blanket, and she went back to sleep.

After a teeny-tiny while, the voice came again, a teeny-tiny bit louder: "GIVE me my BONE."

The teeny-tiny woman was a teeny-tiny bit more scared. She hid her teeny-tiny head a teeny-tiny bit deeper under her teeny-tiny blanket.

After another teeny-tiny while, the voice came again, louder than ever: "GIVE ME MY BONE!"

And the teeny-tiny woman popped her teeny-tiny head out of her teeny-tiny blanket, and she said, in her very loudest teeny-tiny voice: "TAKE IT!"

Teller's tips for The Teeny-Tiny Woman:

• Say "teeny-tiny" in a squeaky little voice every time, and let your listeners say it with you.
• Make the voice from the cupboard slow and low the first time, a bit louder the second, and louder again the third.
• Pause before the last line. Lean in. Then shout "TAKE IT!" and laugh, so everyone knows the scary part is over.

Too scary? For little ones, end it this way: And out of the teeny-tiny cupboard trotted a teeny-tiny dog. He picked up his teeny-tiny bone, wagged his teeny-tiny tail, and curled up at the foot of her teeny-tiny bed. They were teeny-tiny friends from that night on.

Where it comes from: An English folk tale, written down by Joseph Jacobs in English Fairy Tales (1890) and told aloud long before that. Retold in Peabody's own words, with a field for the bone and a little dog for the soft ending.

In a Dark, Dark Wood

😱 Jump! · Ages 4 and up · About 1 minute to tell

In a dark, dark wood, there was a dark, dark path.

And down the dark, dark path, there was a dark, dark house.

And in the dark, dark house, there was a dark, dark hall.

And at the end of the dark, dark hall, there was a dark, dark room.

And in the dark, dark room, there was a dark, dark cupboard.

And in the dark, dark cupboard, there was a dark, dark shelf.

And on the dark, dark shelf, there was a dark, dark box.

And in the dark, dark box, there was...

A GHOST!

Teller's tips for In a Dark, Dark Wood:

• Get a little quieter with every line, until you are whispering.
• On "there was..." hold very still and count to three in your head.
• Shout "A GHOST!" and clap your hands at the same moment. Then smile right away.
• Once they know it, let a child tell it to you, and you do the jumping.

Too scary? For little ones, end it this way: ...a teeny little ghost, who blinked and said, "Oh! You found me. Now it's your turn to hide!"

Where it comes from: A traditional English rhyme, passed from teller to teller with many different rooms and boxes in it. The lines here are Peabody's own telling.

The Strange Visitor

😱 Jump! · Ages 5 and up · About 4 minutes to tell

There was once a woman who sat by her fire every night, spinning wool into yarn. And as she spun, she sighed, "Oh, I do wish I had some company."

One night, as she sat and spun and wished, the door creaked open. In came a pair of big, big boots. Clomp. Clomp. And they stood by the fire.

Still she sat, and still she spun, and still she wished for company.

In came a pair of long, long trousers, and they stepped into the big, big boots.

Still she sat, and still she spun, and still she wished for company.

In came a wide, wide belt, and it buckled itself around the long, long trousers.

Still she sat, and still she spun, and still she wished for company.

In came a puffy, puffy coat, and it buttoned itself up above the wide, wide belt. In came a pair of floppy, floppy gloves, and they slid into the coat's sleeves. In came a long, long scarf, and it wound itself around the coat's collar.

Still she sat, and still she spun, and still she wished for company.

And last of all, in rolled a round, round head, orange as a pumpkin, with a big carved grin. It hopped up and settled just above the long, long scarf. And there stood a great tall visitor, as tall as the ceiling.

The woman stopped spinning. "What big, big boots you have," she said. "From walking far, far," said the visitor, in a low, rumbly voice.

"What floppy, floppy gloves you have," she said. "From waving hello, hello," said the visitor.

"What a round, round head you have," she said. "From growing in the pumpkin patch, patch," said the visitor.

"And what," said the woman, "did you come for?"

The visitor leaned down, down, down, until its round, round head was right next to hers. And it said: "FOR... YOU!"

Teller's tips for The Strange Visitor:

• Clomp your feet on the floor for the boots.
• Say "Still she sat, and still she spun, and still she wished for company" the same way every time. By the third time, your listeners will say it with you.
• Make the visitor's voice slow and rumbly. On the last line, lean in close, stop on "FOR...", then say "YOU!" and give the nearest listener a hug.

Too scary? For little ones, end it this way: "...to come to the harvest dance! You did wish for company." So the woman put down her spinning, and the two of them danced by the fire until the moon went down.

Where it comes from: Based on "The Strange Visitor", an old tale from Joseph Jacobs' English Fairy Tales (1890), which is in the public domain. Retold in Peabody's own words: here the visitor arrives as a set of clothes and a pumpkin head.

The Hairy Toe

😱 Jump! · Ages 5 and up · About 3 minutes to tell

Once there was an old woman who loved to dig in her garden. One evening, as she was digging in the bean patch, she found something poking up out of the dirt.

It was big. It was brown. It was hairy. And it was shaped just like a toe. "Well, I never," said the old woman. "A big hairy toe!" She dropped it in her apron pocket and took it home.

She set the hairy toe on her kitchen shelf, ate her supper, and went up to bed.

In the night, the wind began to blow. Whooo. Whooo. And far away, out in the dark, she heard a voice: "Where's my hair-r-ry to-o-oe? Who's got my hair-r-ry to-o-oe?"

The old woman pulled her blanket up to her chin.

The voice came closer, down the road. "Where's my hair-r-ry to-o-oe? Who's got my hair-r-ry to-o-oe?"

The old woman pulled her blanket up to her nose.

The voice came closer still. To the gate. To the porch. To the door. Cre-e-eak. Into the kitchen. Up the stairs. Thump. Thump. Thump. "Where's my hair-r-ry to-o-oe? Who's got my hair-r-ry to-o-oe?"

The old woman pulled her blanket right up over her head. And right beside her bed, the voice said, very slowly: "Where's... my... hairy... toe?"

"YOU'VE GOT IT!"

Teller's tips for The Hairy Toe:

• Stretch out "hair-r-ry to-o-oe" in a long, wobbly, far-away voice, and bring it closer each time.
• Pull an imaginary blanket higher and higher: to your chin, to your nose, over your head.
• On the last line, spin round, point at a listener and shout "YOU'VE GOT IT!" Then laugh together.

Too scary? For little ones, end it this way: And when she peeked out, there stood a big, shaggy, sleepy fellow wearing one fuzzy brown slipper. The hairy toe was the toe of his other slipper, lost in the beans! She gave it back. He wiggled his foot into it, said "Ahh, toasty," and shuffled off home to bed.

Where it comes from: An American folk tale from the Appalachian mountains, told aloud for generations. Retold in Peabody's own words, with a fuzzy slipper for the soft ending.

The Midnight Slurp

😱 Jump! · Ages 4 and up · About 2 minutes to tell

It was the middle of the night, and the house was dark and still. Then Nora woke up. She heard something. Down the hall. Down the stairs. In the kitchen. Slurrrp.

Nora sat up. Slurrrp. What could be slurping in the kitchen in the middle of the night?

She tiptoed out of her room. Slurrrp. She tiptoed down the hall. SLURRRP. She tiptoed down the stairs, one step, two steps, three steps. SLURRRRRP.

The kitchen was dark, except for a thin stripe of light from the fridge door, open just a crack. Something was standing in front of it. Something tall. Something shaggy. Something with long, dangly things hanging out of its mouth.

Nora crept closer. And closer. And closer. And the something turned around and went: SLURRRRRRP!

It was Dad! In his shaggy bathrobe, holding a bowl of cold spaghetti, with noodles dangling off his chin. "Uh oh," said Dad. "You caught me."

Teller's tips for The Midnight Slurp:

• Practice your slurp first. Make each slurp longer and louder than the last.
• Tiptoe two fingers along the floor, or along a listener's arm, as Nora creeps down the stairs.
• On the last SLURRRRRP, jump forward with your hands up. Then say Dad's "Uh oh" in a sheepish little voice.

Too scary? For little ones, end it this way: "Shh," said Dad, and he got out a second fork. "Midnight noodles are a secret. Want some?" And Nora did.

A Peabody story, written for this page.

At Halloween

In October these stories sit with the rest of Halloween at Peabody: the Halloween stories to read, Halloween HQ with games, crafts and treats, and the Halloween jokes for after a scary story.

Questions parents ask

What is a good scary story for kids?

One that is scary but safe: it builds slowly, has a sound or a line kids can say along, and ends with a laugh. The Teeny-Tiny Woman and In a Dark, Dark Wood are old favorites for ages 4 and up because the "scare" is just the teller shouting the last line. For older children, Tailypo and The Creaky Stair That Counted are creepier but no one gets hurt.

How do you make a story less scary for little kids?

Tell it with the lights on, in your normal voice, and skip the shout. Tell the soft ending instead of the jump. Say before you start how it ends ("it's a lost bone, and a little dog wants it back"). Let the child hold the flashlight or do the sound effects, since being in charge of the scary part makes it fun. And stop whenever they want.

What age are scary stories for?

Giggly stories suit ages 3 and up. Short jump stories like The Teeny-Tiny Woman work from about 4, when told with a smile. Quiet, creepy stories like Tailypo fit about 7 and up. Each story on this page lists the ages it fits; you know your child, so go by them first.

What is a jump story?

A story that gets quieter and slower until the very last line, which the teller shouts while jumping toward the listeners. The Hairy Toe and The Teeny-Tiny Woman are old jump stories. The scare is over in a second, and it is almost always followed by laughing.

Are these stories made up or old?

Both. 6 are folk tales that have been told aloud for generations, such as Tailypo and Wait Till Martin Comes, retold here in our own words with the scary bits softened. The other 6, such as The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Kids and The Midnight Slurp, are new stories written for Peabody.

Are there scary stories for kindergarteners?

Yes, to tell out loud. The giggly stories on this page, such as The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Kids, have no scare in them and suit ages 3 and up. The stories to read start at level 0, about 2nd grade reading, so read those aloud to a younger child.

Are there ghost stories for kids here?

Yes. To read: A Christmas Carol, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Stuck Note and The Haunting of Bench Seven, which is funny more than scary. To tell: The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Kids, which is not scary at all.

Can I tell these stories at school or print them?

Yes. Tell them in class, at a party or in a tent on a camping trip, and print the page for your own use. They're free, with no ads and no sign-up, and the page keeps nothing about who reads it.