Bedtime for Boo

July 30, 2012
In debut author Matheis’s twist on a conventional bedtime story, a chubby, cherubic ghost named Boo lives with his family in a dilapidated house. After a fun night of flying and spooking, it’s time for bed. Coaxing Boo to sleep, his curly-haired Mama tucks him in, urging him to “Listen to the sounds of the house,” including the ghosts whooshing by, bats flapping, and black cats hissing. Leick’s characterizations of the ghosts, witches, mummies, and more are so gentle that even skittish readers will feel cozy, not creeped-out, at book’s end. Ages 2–up.

August 1, 2012

K-Gr 2-Baby Boo is the youngest member in a not-so-scary family of ghosts. They are going "a-haunting," and Boo is excited since this will be the first time he gets to join them. Flying in the night sky, playing hide-and-seek behind the clouds, and whistling "happy-ghost-lucky" songs are all great fun. But it is all soon over and time for bed. Boo isn't tired, but Mama Ghost has an idea to help him fall asleep: "Listen to the sounds of the house," she says. Ghosts float by, "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh." Bats are "flapping, flapping/And footsteps tapping-tapping, tapping." Doors creak, skeletons rattle, wolves howl, and monsters moan. And soon little Boo is asleep. Those sounds are a familiar part of his safe and warm home. This rhyming tale is rendered with acrylics in dark, but not frightening, hues. It is suitable as a fall bedtime story one-on-one, or paired with Halloween favorites such as Eve Bunting's Scary, Scary Halloween (Clarion, 1986) and Lucille Colandro's There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat (Scholastic, 2005) for lighthearted seasonal storytimes.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2012
What begins as a lyrical bedtime book featuring a friendly, freckled ghost evolves into a gentle rhyming interactive story for not-so-sleepyheads. Lush language describes a spooky, dilapidated setting where "a family of ghosts" lives. Boo is the "littlest" and can finally stay up late and go a-haunting. After a rollicking evening of games with the big ghosts, Boo and his mama return home. When Boo protests that he is not tired enough to sleep, Mama suggests he "listen to the sounds of the house." Once his eyes are closed, he can hear the ghosts whooshing, bats flapping, footsteps tapping, spiders clicking, a clock ticking. The thrice-repeated noises get more boisterous and potentially scary: Witches cackle, skeletons rattle, monsters moan, wolves howl. But always there is the gentle, reassuring sound of the ghosts' whoosh. Leick's illustrations with muted colors and soft textures feature amiable, transparent human-headed ghosts who cavort and cuddle on full-bleed pages. This is most successful on double-page spreads, less so in the frameless side-by-side pages, especially where the gutter cuts off an owl's wing. Quibbles aside, this is a sweet tale for young preschoolers getting into the Halloween spirit. Similar tales abound, so purchase as needed. (Picture book. 2-4)

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September 1, 2012
Preschool-G After little ghost Boo has played hide-and-seek, winked at the moon, and spooked an owl, it is time for bed. Of course, he is not sleepy. Mama tells him to listen to the surrounding sounds, and sure enough, the clicking, ticking of an old clock and the rattling of skeleton bones, along with other soothing sounds (to ghosts, at least), lull him to sleep. While the rhymes are sometimes uneven, the sound words, which appear in different typefaces throughout, make this fun for Halloween read-alouds. With Leick's cute, freckled ghost at the helm, this story is not too spooky for little ones.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)