The Little Ghost Who Lost Her Boo!

by Elaine Bickell, Raymond McGrath (Illustrator)

Overview

Perfect for Halloween!

The New York Times bestselling read-aloud about a little ghost who goes on a nighttime hunt to find her lost "boo!". Perfect for fans of Five Little Pumpkins, Room on the Broom, and How to Catch a Monster!

Little Ghost went out in the middle of the night and flew up to someone to give them a fright.
She opened her mouth—but her BOO wasn't there! All that came out was a rush of cold air.
"I've lost my BOO! I've lost my BOO! Where has it gone? What will I do?"

Poor Little Ghost has lost her scary BOO, so she sets out on a nighttime hunt to find it. She searches high and low, but it's nowhere to be found! Will she ever find her lost BOO?

With bold and gorgeous art accompanied by bouncy, rhyming text, The Little Ghost Who Lost Her Boo is a charming, not-so-spooky read aloud perfect for Halloween or any time of year!

Praise for The Little Ghost Who Lost Her Boo!:

"This interactive feature is sure to be a crowd pleaser." —Horn Book Magazine

"In time for Halloween, a BOO-k about a ghost that young readers will enjoy." —Kirkus Reviews

"Bickell and McGrath have created an endearing read-aloud that hits all the right notes, with clever rhyming text that invites audience participation." —School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593202159
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/18/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	268,112
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Elaine Bickell (elainebickell.com) was born and grew up in London until her family escaped the city and moved closer to the beach in West Sussex. Her love of books led her to take undertake an honours degree in English Literature at Bristol University. After that she worked selling advertising space in Woman's Weekly before becoming a magazine publisher. After moving to New Zealand in 2005, she worked at advertising firm, Saatchi & Saatchi. She was the winner of the 2018 Storylines Joy Cowley Award. Elaine lives in central Wellington with her partner and three children Max, Gus, and Greta.

Raymond McGrath (theonetrickpony.net) is an award winning animation director and lecturer, animator, illustrator, designer, musician and writer who has been working in children's television, film, publishing and advertising for over 25 years. He loves gardening, photography, music and drawing, and is the creator and director of the educational pre-school TV series "Puzzle Inc." He lives in the country with his lovely wife, his two beautiful daughters, his irrepressible son, some cats, and a schnauzer whose legs are made out of springs!

Editorial Reviews

08/17/2020

After losing her “boo” when trying to engage in a scare, Little Ghost asks for assistance from animals whose utterances sound auspiciously familiar. She’s optimistic when she hears a “whoo-whoo-whoo,” but then discovers its source: “Oh Owl, it’s you!/ I wonder, can you help me?/ I’m looking for my boo.” The empathic bird offers to lend her his sound, but since “it’s just not as scary as my ghostly boo,”she instead turns to a cooing pigeon, a crowing rooster, and a mooing cow, each of which makes a similarly generous offer. With effectively repetitious, lilting verse, Bickell underscores the ghost’s hopefulness and determination before entreating readers’ help to bring this gentle friendship story to an uplifting close. McGrath humorously portrays Little Ghost as a round creature with large, expressive eyes, whose simplicity offers a striking contrast to the detailed depictions of her intricately patterned animal pals. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Bickell and McGrath have created an endearing read-aloud that hits all the right notes, with clever rhyming text that invites audience ­participation."—School Library Journal

"In time for Halloween, a BOO-k about a ghost that young readers will enjoy." —Kirkus Reviews

"With effectively repetitious, lilting verse, Bickell underscores the ghost’s hopefulness and determination before entreating readers’ help to bring this gentle friendship story to an uplifting close. McGrath humorously portrays Little Ghost as a round creature with large, expressive eyes, whose simplicity offers a striking contrast to the detailed depictions of her intricately patterned animal pals." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

07/01/2020

PreS-Gr 1—An adorable little ghost is all set for a night of frightening those around her when she discovers that she has lost her "boo!" Her mother consoles her and says that perhaps her fright nights are over, but the little specter will not hear of it. What follows is a charming romp as she flies throughout the forest looking everywhere for what has gone missing. She hears an owl hooting but of course it "wasn't a BOO, but a WHOO-WHOO-WHOO." Each failed encounter, from a pigeon to a rooster to a cow, subtly but beautifully changes the colors in the illustrations from dark blues and blacks to brighter and lighter shades as the sun begins to rise. Just as all seems lost, the little ghost looks up and sees the reader. With a heartfelt plea for readers to shout out "BOO!" all is fixed and the ghost is restored to her former glory. VERDICT Recommended for purchase; Bickell and McGrath have created an endearing read-aloud that hits all the right notes, with clever rhyming text that invites audience participation.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph P.L., MI

School Library Journal

2020-07-14
What can a ghost do when she’s lost her boo?

Little Ghost has a dilemma. Attempting to frighten an unsuspecting human (who presents White), she finds to her dismay that, instead of her signature sound, only “a rush of cold air” escapes her mouth. Mama Ghost sympathizes but fears her child’s “fright nights are done.” Not one to give up easily, Little Ghost launches a search. She encounters her friends Owl, Pigeon, and Rooster, whose sounds are all similar to “Boo”; unable to join Little Ghost in her search for her boo, they offer to lend her their cries. She declines, explaining that, while the calls are perfect for them, they aren’t as scary as hers. She finally heads home, despondent, and meets another pal whose voice resembles her own. In an unexpected concluding twist, Little Ghost locates the friend she most needs, the one who will assuredly help reclaim her boo-tiful sound. This cute but thin rhyming New Zealand import will appeal to ghost fans; they’ll definitely want to comply—loudly—with the final instruction. The jaunty rhyming couplets mostly succeed but are sometimes awkward. Illustrations and white text type pop against saturated turquoise backgrounds. Occasionally, certain words and onomatopoeic sounds, such as the animals’ calls, are capitalized and appear in display type for dramatic effect. Chubby Little Ghost is amorphous, winsome, and wide eyed. Her pals have a bright, folk art–y appearance.

In time for Halloween, a BOO-k about a ghost that young readers will enjoy. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews