Soon it will be Halloween.  That one day each year when children dress up and go door to door collecting candy.  Adults also may dress up as monsters, ghosts, their favorite celebrities or literary characters. But do you know the roots of this celebration?

Ray Bradbury in his 1972 story The Halloween Tree, tells the story of 8 young boys who travel through time searching for their friend Pipkin.  Along their journey they encounter the mysterious Mr. Moundshroud who takes them to the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, Rome, Medieval Paris, Druidic England and finally to a Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico. In 1992 This story was made into a feature-length animated film starring the voices of Ray Bradbury as the voice of the Narrator and Leonard Nemoy as the mysterious Mr. Moundshroud. 

Do you want to know more about this fall celebration?  Come check out this book at the San Jose Public Library.  We also have many more materials that can help you plan your own Halloween celebration. 

Two of my favorite picture books for Halloween are: Moonlight: The Halloween Cat and Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin.  They are great for small children, who might otherwise be scared by some Halloween books.  These two introduce Halloween in a simple clear way, with bright bold pictures and simple text.  Moonlight describes a black cat on Halloween night, and Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin describes how one chooses a pumpkin and makes a jack o' lantern.  I love them both and I often use them for story time.

Can’t wait for Halloween? There’s no need!

CommUniverCity San Jose is sponsoring a Safe & Green Halloween Fair Friday October 19 from 3:00 to 6:00 pm in Martin Park behind McKinley Elementary.  Learn how to have a safe and eco-friendly Halloween while enjoying a costume contest, pumpkin decorations, and other fun activities.  We'll be there supporting the community and offering our own fun activity. 

Go to www.facebook.com/communivercitysj for more information.

Calling all princesses, ghosts, witches, superheroes and other fantastic creatures to our Annual Halloween Parade at the King Library. This year our parade is on Friday, October 26 and starts in the Children's Room at 3:30 with some Halloween stories to get us in the proper Halloween mood.  Our library mascot, Conroy the Cougar, will be leading the parade as we go trick or treating from the 1st through the 4th floors! There will be loads of library staff waiting to fill those Trick or Treat bags with lots of goodies! Come join our parade and get the chance to wear your Halloween Costume before the big day.  Adults, get in the mood and wear your costumes too!! It will be a really fun time!

We have lots of spooktacular fun happening in the Children's Room at the King Library for the month of October. All of our Friday Fun programs are at 4:00PM in the Exploration Room located on the Mezzanine above the Children's Room:

October 5 ~ Fingerprint Tree Craft: Yes it is Fall! To remind us of that children will be creating their own fall trees by using their arms and hands to make the trunks and branches of the trees and then their fingers to make the beautiful colored leaves. They will be using poster paint to create so it will be messy, fun and creative! Join the fun!

October 12 ~ Halloween and Day of the Dead Stories and Crafts. Come enjoy some spooky stories and then have fun making crafts just for Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Remember we have many story books and craft books that you can borrow on Halloween and Day of the Dead. Remember to borrow some so that you can enjoy them at home.                         

October 19 ~ Insect Discovery Lab: Discover the world of insects with Insect Discovery Lab. Get up close and personal with some of them. Seating is very limited (25 children) so please arrive early.  The Insect Discovery Lab will be doing programs at other branches during the month of October, check here to see dates and times.

October 26 ~ Annual Halloween Parade at King Library: Calling all princesses, superheroes, witches and other strange creatures to our annual Halloween Parade. Festivities start at 3:30PM with stories and a craft followed by the parade thoughout the library from the first to the 4th floors led, of course, by Conroy the Cougar, the Library's very own mascot. We'll be doing lots of Trick or Treating! A fun afternoon for the whole family! Adults are welcome to come in costume too, get in the Halloween spirit!

On Wednesday, October 26, 2011, the Tully Community Branch Library hosted a very special library-wide party in celebration of Halloween. The festivities began with a magic show performed by Benny and Bebe's Magic Circus. This was followed by various craft activities, a prize table and drawing. During these programs a haunted house was set up with performances by Tully's teensReach volunteers. This video was filmed and edited by Mark Lorensen using music provided by Kevin MacLeod.