A Friend for Ghost

June 15, 2022
A good-natured and caring friend is determined to cheer up lonely Ghost. Rain is falling on a row of old-fashioned-looking houses as a ghost wearing glasses stares out an attic window. Hanging out in the park, unseen, Ghost remains woeful--no one ever seems to know Ghost is there. A big red balloon--on whom Ghost draws a smiling face--floats by, joining Ghost on the seesaw and for a refreshing serving of ice cream. The two are seemingly compatible, but, alas, the balloon floats away. Ghost searches everywhere, to no avail. When the balloon finally returns to the park and a despondent Ghost, the true intent of its unseen mission becomes happily clear. The balloon has brought back the perfect ghostly companion for Ghost, this one sporting a bow tie. Fluid illustrations bring to life--so to speak--the amorphous main characters, washes of color heightening the emotion. The children playing in the park have a range of skin tones; one child uses a wheelchair, and one wears a hijab. The tale offers plenty of opportunities to spark discussions about friendship and compatibility. Is it their similar appearance that draws the ghosts to each other? Children will enjoy seeing ghosts behaving as nonthreatening, fun-seeking, and peoplelike. (This book was reviewed digitally.) In this delightful tale, kindred spirits find happiness together. (Picture book. 3-6)

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July 8, 2022

K-Gr 3-Friendship isn't easy-especially for Ghost. Reminiscent of Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson's Leo: A Ghost Story, this lovely title features Ghost, who is lonely and in search of a friend. "Always alone-in the crowd." On one special day Ghost makes a friend (a red balloon) and they share everything, until the expected disaster takes place and this friend drifts away. The emotional journey of Ghost is captured through expressive illustrations of Ghost and Ghost's surroundings. Ghost does not have a personal pronoun which creates a wonderful opening for classroom or story-hour discussion about the use of gender pronouns and gender stereotypes. Kaufman's detailed and action-packed illustrations appear to be watercolors and do not overwhelm the relatively simple story of the universal search for friendship, and the opportunity for finding friends when and where it's least expected. VERDICT Recommended for libraries looking for sweet ghost stories as well as titles on friendship and the challenges of making friends.-John Scott

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 22, 2022
Attic-dwelling Ghost, who has big round eyeglasses and a beseeching face, seems fated to be “always alone in the crowd.” Though animals occasionally take notice, Ghost can’t even get the attention of the city family, portrayed with white skin, who live in the same house. When a big balloon as red as Ghost’s apple cheeks floats within reach, Ghost draws a smiley face on it, and the two become inseparable. The balloon’s departure back to the sky prompts a frantic search (Ghost papers playground participants with “MISSING FRIEND” posters), but a turn suggests that perhaps the balloon isn’t lost after all. Using ink and watercolor, Kaufman’s emotionally rich, sketchlike compositions—of sad Ghost on a busy urban playground, of the balloon offering Ghost steadfast companionship as a scary thunderstorm rages outside—exude immediacy and empathy. Ages 4–8.

July 1, 2022
Rosy-cheeked Ghost lives in the attic of a house belonging to a busy, boisterous family. Other than the dog, no one notices Ghost, who is "always alone in a crowd." Kaufman's friendly illustrations star a reserved bespectacled spirit who longs for companionship, which Ghost finally finds in a stray red balloon. "Could it be...a friend?" Ghost and "the friend" are inseparable until the balloon floats away during a game of hide-and-seek. Ghost is devastated. Will our sensitive specter be friendless forever? Fear not: the story ends happily for Ghost, the balloon, and a new pal.

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