Review by Booklist Review
For timid tots who find the supernatural a tad too spooky, this charming ghost story warms the heart instead of chilling the bone. Arranged as a how-to manual, this three-part guide shows readers the ins and outs of having a ghost companion. Starting with identification (wavy bottom, transparent body, etc.), Green presents practical tips in the areas of Ghost Basics, Ghost Care, and Growing Together. The matter-of-fact tone combined with the sweet, colored-pencil-and-gouache illustrations blend humorously, whether the ghost is pretending to be a tissue wafting from a tissue box (ghosts need lots of hiding spots) or trick-or-treating sans costume. The book's first two sections center around a girl caring for her ghost, but in the third, their roles gradually reverse as the girl grows old. Now her spectral buddy tends to her needs, and when it's time for her to leave this life, guess who's still there for her? Although the book's premise is fanciful, it offers a heartfelt lesson in kindness and caring, qualities essential to creating lifelong (and beyond) friendships. --Smith, Julia Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
This helpful guide will show you how to create a lifelong (and beyond) friendship! The straightforward text, recalling a pet-owners manual, begins with an introduction on how to properly identify a ghost. Part 1: Ghost Basics offers advice on befriending one: do let the ghost approach you; dont run away. (Ghosts are very sensitive creatures, you know.) Learn how to keep your new friend happy, healthy, and safe in Part 2: Ghost Care. Though the text serves as a general how-to book for any would-be ghost-owner, the gouache and colored-pencil illustrations follow one girl-and-ghost pair; Part 3: Growing Together shows the two marking milestones in the humans life such as moving, entering the workforce, and having a child. (You will grow old but your ghost never will.) The now-elderly womans forever friend is right by her side until the end and even after. With rosy cheeks, wide eyes, and childlike interests, this ghost is not just not-scary but utterly endearing. A cozy, muted autumnal palette; plenty of visual humor; and relaxed hand-lettering further lighten the punny text, making for a tongue-in-cheek but strangely sweet picture book about enduring friendship. katie bircher (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Green's picture-book debut is a guidebook that will be useful for anyone lucky enough to meet a ghost. Indeed, the author stresses that you can look forever and not find a ghost, but if you are "sweet, warm, and kinda ghost may find you." The first section introduces a few "Ghost Basics" and do's and don'ts. The second is devoted to "Ghost Care," and it's sure to garner the most Ewww's from readers, especially when they read some of the things ghosts like to eat. "Growing Together," the final section, addresses some of the issues you and your ghost will face as you grow up: moving to a new house, working, having a family, and growing old. The final illustration is poignant, as the girl pictured throughout is now a ghost herself, holding hands with her friend as they float over a new gravestone: "you'll be friends even after the end." The gouache, colored pencil, and digital illustrations have a sophisticated, rather adult aesthetic. The girl is more woman than child, and she is sometimes awkwardly portrayed, especially her ears and her expressions. Both she and the ghost are paper-white with pink cheeks, and the palette is limited to black, white, gray, brown, a rusty orange, and a pinkish red. A solid guidebook to shelve with similar tomes on caring for monsters, trolls, fairies, dragons, and the like. (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
