Hush, Baby Ghostling

by Andrea Beaty, Pascal Lemaitre (Illustrator)

Overview

When the sun begins to rise, it’s time for Baby Ghostling to sleep. But sleeping is hard when your head is filled with scary thoughts of human children! All of the elements of a classic good-night story are turned on their heads as Mama comforts her ghostling with thoughts of owls and bats and monsters. Young children will delight in seeing their bedtime rituals turned upside down. With gentle humor and glowing illustrations in the hues of dawn, this is a lullaby that any child—ghost or human—will look forward to hearing before bed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416925453
Publisher:	Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date:	08/04/2009
Edition description:	Repackage
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Andrea Beaty is the author of Doctor Ted; Firefighter Ted; Hush, Baby Ghostling; When Giants Come to Play; and Iggy Peck, Architect. As a kid, she spent her days being a detective, world explorer, movie star, and spy. Now, as a children's author, she spends her days pretty much the same way! She lives in the Chicago area. You can visit her online at andreabeaty.com.

Pascal Lemaitre illustrated Toni and Slade Morrison’s bestselling Who’s Got Game? series, as well as many other books for children. He and his family divide their time between Brussels, Belgium, where he teaches illustration, and Brooklyn, New York. Visit him online at PascalLemaitre.com.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-K–As a mother ghost is trying to get her youngster to bed, every line and ritual used by humans is turned upside down. The ghostling is scared of the light and is told, “Now dream a little nightmare while the ghoulies dance and sway./Dream a dream of darkness where the wild monsters play.” The little ghost is afraid that there’s a boy hiding in his closet, but Mom assures him that children are only make-believe. After the usual hugs, kisses, and assurance that “I love you,” the youngster finally falls asleep. The digitally colored bamboo and ink drawings are simple and large. The daytime scenes are pink, and those set at night are often purple. The dream scenes are filled with rather scary creatures of all kinds. The story might be scary for the littlest ones, but kids old enough to understand the wordplay might enjoy it.–Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI

School Library Journal

A mother ghost soothes her baby to sleep as dawn draws near, summoning visions of ghouls and goblins to help him in his slumber, reassuring him that the "boy / with ten pink toes, blue eyes, / and golden hair" he thinks he sees is "only make-believe." Lemaitre, working in digitally colored bamboo and ink, presents ghosts of the classic, sheeted variety, big eyes and tiny smiles lending them expression. His colors modulate from a gorgeous purply blue to rosy pink as the day brightens; he depicts the monsters the mother conjures in childlike fashion-there's nothing at all scary about this book. Although the ghostly role-reversal premise is hardly new, this is a just-sweet-enough example of it for little ones. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews