Boo! Who’s Under There?

It’s Halloween, and the sky is turning orange and purple.

The pumpkin on the step is smiling its big pumpkin smile, and there’s a bowl of treats by the door.

Shh. Listen…

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Knock, knock! Who’s there?

Someone small and white and floaty, with two round holes to see through.

Is it a ghost?

“Boo!” says the ghost.

Then up, up, up comes the sheet, and underneath it’s…

Peekaboo, it’s Teddy!

Teddy, with his fuzzy brown tummy. Squeeze, squeeze, cuddle!

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Knock, knock! Who’s there?

Someone big and round and orange, with a little green stalk on top.

Is it a pumpkin?

“Boo!” says the pumpkin.

Then off, off, off comes the pumpkin, and underneath it’s…

Peekaboo, it’s Grandma!

Grandma, with her twinkly glasses. Mwah, mwah, a kiss on your cheek!

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Knock, knock! Who’s there?

Someone with a tall, pointy hat and a swishy purple cloak. Swish, swish, swish!

Is it a witch?

“Boo!” says the witch. And then, very quietly, “Quack.”

Then up, up, up goes the hat, and underneath it’s…

Peekaboo, it’s Duck!

Duck, with her waddly orange feet. Quack, quack, quack!

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Knock, knock! Who’s there?

Someone very little, with two black wings going flap, flap, flap.

Is it a bat?

“Ba!” says the bat. That’s nearly “Boo!”

Then off, off, off come the wings, and underneath it’s…

Peekaboo, it’s Rosie from next door!

Rosie, with her great big giggle. Can you flap like Rosie? Flap, flap, flap!

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Now everyone is here. Teddy and Grandma, Duck and Rosie, all together.

But wait. Someone is missing.

Someone small is hiding under a blanket, right here with me, with little toes poking out.

Tap, tap. Knock, knock! Who’s there?

Is it a ghost? Is it a pumpkin? Is it a witch, or a bat?

“Boo!”

Then off, off, off comes the blanket, and underneath it’s…

Peekaboo, it’s you!

Hooray!

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Now the sheet is folded, and the pointy hat hangs on its peg. Rosie goes home next door. Duck waddles back to her pond. Grandma blows one last kiss.

Ghosts and pumpkins, hats and wings… and underneath, a friend every time.

No more knocking. No more “Boo!”

Just one last peekaboo, very slow and very quiet.

Where’s the moon?

There it is, peeping in at the window to say goodnight.

Peekaboo, moon.

Peekaboo, little one.

Night night.

The End

About this story

Halloween is full of masks, sheets, hats and painted faces, and for a baby or toddler, a familiar face that suddenly looks different can be a real surprise. This story takes the spookiest-looking visitors at the door and shows, every single time, that there’s someone friendly underneath.

It’s built on peekaboo, the very first hiding game most babies love. Each knock is a hide, each “Boo!” is a pause, and each costume coming off is the pop back out. By the end, “Boo!” stops sounding like a fright and starts sounding like the beginning of a game. If your little one enjoys it, try our peekaboo game together too.

Reading it aloud

• Knock on the table, the book or your knee for each “Knock, knock!”, and let a toddler say “Who’s there?” with you.
• Pause before every reveal. The waiting is half the fun, so let “underneath it’s…” hang for a second or two.
• Cover your face with your hands for each “Boo!”, then drop them with a smile for “Peekaboo!”. Toddlers soon want to be the one who shouts “Boo!”.
• For the last knock, tap gently on your baby’s tummy, and hide them under a thin muslin rather than a blanket. Keep hold of it and lift it off yourself after a moment.
• If it’s bedtime, slow right down after “Hooray!”. Make the moon’s peekaboo a whisper, and let the last lines drift.

Is it too scary?

No. Nobody is frightened, nothing goes wrong, and every costume comes off within a line or two to show a friend. The only “Boo!” in it is a peekaboo “Boo!”, and you can say it as softly as you like. If your baby startles easily, whisper it, and go straight to the smile.