Poe for Kids

by Buggy & Dad

Stories for Kids

Season 1

The Fall of the House of Usher (Part 1) | Edgar Allan Poe for Kids

A kid-friendly adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” for listeners ages 8-12. This is Part 1 of 2. On a dull, gray autumn day, a man rides toward a crumbling old mansion, called there by a letter from a boyhood friend who is unwell and wants company. Roderick Usher has changed since they last met. He is pale, jumpy, and afraid of the house he has lived in all his life, and his twin sister Madeline is slipping away from an illness no doctor can name. As the days pass, a strange weight settles over everything, and the man begins to wonder whether the house itself is part of the sickness. Then something happens in the vault beneath the mansion, and he notices a detail he can’t stop thinking about. Join Buggy and Dad as they begin one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most haunting tales, the first half of the Season One finale.

The Sphinx | Edgar Allan Poe for Kids

A kid-friendly adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Sphinx" for listeners ages 8-12. A terrible sickness is sweeping through New York City, and a young man escapes to a quiet cottage on the Hudson River to wait it out. But the bad news keeps arriving, and his nerves are wearing thin. Then one afternoon, gazing out the window at a distant hillside, he sees something impossible: a monster bigger than a sailing ship crawling down the slope, with two pairs of enormous wings, gleaming tusks, and a skull staring out from its chest. Is it an omen of doom, or is he losing his mind? The answer turns out to be much closer than he thinks. Join Buggy and Dad as they explore one of Edgar Allan Poe's strangest tales about fear, imagination, and how easy it is to misjudge what's right in front of you.

Poe For Kids - Episode 8 1/2 - Quick School Year Update

School's back, which means Buggy started 4th grade, picked up violin and tennis, and recording time got tight. We're not stopping — just slowing down for a bit. In this short bonus episode, we let you know what's coming next: The Sphinx is up first, then we close out Season One with one of Poe's most famous scary stories (Dad's keeping it a secret, and Buggy's hint doesn't exactly help). Subscribe so you don't miss the next one, and leave a comment telling us where in the world you're listening from — Buggy's studying geography this year and wants to know.

A Descent Into the Maelstrom | Edgar Allan Poe for Kids

A kid-friendly adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "A Descent into the Maelström" for listeners ages 8-12. High on a cliff overlooking the coast of Norway, an old fisherman tells a story that turned his hair white in a single day. He and his brothers sailed too close to a monstrous whirlpool, a real, ferocious current called the Moskstraumen, and watched it swallow their boat whole. What he figured out in those terrifying minutes, the one calculation that saved his life, is either genius or madness. Join Buggy and Dad as they explore one of Edgar Allan Poe's most harrowing tales of nature's raw power. Watch the real Moskstraumen whirlpool here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MXzcGILsrM

The Cask of Amontillado | Edgar Allan Poe for Kids

A kid-friendly adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" for listeners ages 8-12. Deep beneath the streets, in tunnels lined with bones and heavy with damp air, one man leads another toward the promise of a rare wine — but it isn't friendship guiding the way. When Montresor invites his old rival Fortunato down into the catacombs to taste a legendary cask of Amontillado, Fortunato has no idea he's walking straight into a trap years in the making. Join Buggy and Dad as they explore one of Edgar Allan Poe's coldest and most calculated tales.

The Purloined Letter | Edgar Allan Poe for Kids

A kid-friendly adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Purloined Letter" for listeners ages 8–12. A stolen letter, a government minister hiding it in plain sight, and a detective who solves the case by refusing to think like everyone else — Auguste Dupin returns to untangle a mystery that has the entire Paris police force stumped. They've searched every inch of the minister's apartment and found nothing, but Dupin knows that sometimes the best hiding place is the one nobody bothers to check. Join Buggy and Dad as they explore one of Edgar Allan Poe's most clever tales.

The Gold Bug | Edgar Allan Poe for Kids

A kid-friendly adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Gold Bug" for listeners ages 8–12. A strange golden beetle, a scrap of weathered paper, and a code no one can crack — William Legrand is convinced they add up to something extraordinary. When a mysterious cryptogram sends him on a hunt across a remote South Carolina island, even his closest friends aren't sure if he's found treasure or lost his mind. Join Buggy and Dad as they explore one of Edgar Allan Poe's most puzzling tales.

The Pit and The Pendulum | Edgar Allan Poe for Kids

A kid-friendly adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and The Pendulum" for listeners ages 8-12. Buried in total darkness, with no idea what waits in the room around him — a prisoner must use every ounce of nerve just to survive the night. When a condemned man wakes up trapped in a dungeon during the Spanish Inquisition, he must outlast torments designed to break him before they can kill him. Join Buggy and Dad as they explore one of Edgar Allan Poe's most nail-biting tales.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue | Edgar Allan Poe for Kids

A kid-friendly adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" for listeners ages 8–12. A body found behind a locked door, a room no one could have entered or left — and a detective determined to solve it. When two women are murdered in a Paris apartment under impossible circumstances, C. Auguste Dupin sets out to untangle a mystery that has the whole city stumped. Join Buggy and Dad as they explore one of Edgar Allan Poe's cleverest tales.

The Masque of the Red Death | Edgar Allan Poe for Kids

A kid-friendly adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" for listeners ages 8–12. Prince Prospero thinks he can hide from anything — even death itself — behind the walls of his abbey. But when a mysterious stranger shows up uninvited to his masquerade ball, things don't go quite the way he planned. Join Buggy and Dad as they explore one of Edgar Allan Poe's spookiest stories.

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