How to Spook a Ghost

Sue Fliess is the author of over fifty children's books including other books in the Magical Creatures and Crafts Series: How to Help a Cupid, How to Trap a Leprechaun, How to Track an Easter Bunny, How to Meet a Mermaid, How to Find a Unicorn, How to Trick a Christmas Elf, and How to Hide a Turkey, the Beatrice Bly series, the Kid Scientist series, Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket, Mary Had a Little Lab, and more. She lives in Northern Virginia with her family and loves to travel. She has always loved Halloween. Once she dressed up as the Mona Lisa painting and won a costume contest. Simona Sanfilippo is a children’s book illustrator who lives and works near Turin, the magical town in the north of Italy. Lots of green hills and mountains have surrounded her since childhood and both of them have a big place in her heart, a northern one that loves oceans and snowy lands too. When she lets her pencils have a break, she loves reading about Celtic legends, creating cute handmade creatures, and having a walk into the woods discovering trees and Mother Earth’s gifts.

"Having covered Thanksgiving, Christmas, unicorns, and more, Fliess now turns to Halloween for the latest in her crafty how-to series. Upbeat text in verse encourages readers to pick a costume . . . doors (and pages) are enthusiastically decorated with stars, skulls, headstones, spiderwebs, and jack-o’-lanterns. The last three double-page spreads detail the history of the holiday, its introduction to the U.S. by Irish immigrants, the traditions of trick-or-treating and pumpkin carving, and instructions for making a ghost costume or puppet. A lively celebration of a popular holiday with some craft ideas and history. (Picture book. 4-6)" —Kirkus Reviews"This brief story told in verse and cartoon scenes begins with four children, two Black and two white, busily pulling items from trunks to assemble costumes. One of them will be a ghost, and the emphasis is on getting ready. Once all the children are costumed, a quick visit to a decorated door leads to a brief scary moment and an encounter with a young friendly ghost who begs to go trick-or-treating with them. Deciding that the ghost is kind and shouldn’t be left behind, they all go trick-or-treating together. The ghost has a final happy word: 'I’m a lot like you.' The scheme of the book follows that used by the author and illustrator in their Magical Creatures and Crafts series. The square volume sets the energetic, simply sketched figures and bits of Halloween decor against mostly white space in spreads. End materials include a history of Halloween over several pages and instructions for making ghost costumes and puppets. The costume emphasis suggests its place on library shelves. VERDICT Practical seasonal material where more is needed." —School Library Journal