Gustavo conquers his shyness in sweet ghost story

 

Gustavo the Shy Ghost

Written and illustrated by Flavia Z. Drago

Candlewick Press, 2020

Gustavo enjoys doing ordinary ghost things like passing through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark. He loves playing the violin, and he has a secret crush on Alma, the prettiest monster in town.

But Gustavo has a problem. He is shy. His shyness makes some things feel incredibly difficult – like standing in line for ice cream and making friends.

He is afraid to talk to the other monsters. He tries to get them to notice him by hanging around, but no one can see him. He feels lonely and longs for a friend.

He writes a letter to the other monsters, inviting them to his violin concert on the Day of the Dead in the cemetery at the next full moon. He worries that no one will come.

He goes to the cemetery with his violin and waits. No one comes. 

So he plays his violin, and the music makes him happy, so happy that he glows.

Finally, others begin to show up, until the cemetery is crowded with monsters. They apologize for being late and tell him they got lost but then they heard his music and saw his glow.

From then on, Gustavo has friends. The others discover that even though he doesn’t talk much, he is best at helping and protecting his friends. He surprises them with fun things like flashlight puppets. And his friends love him.

Drago’s mixed media illustrations are bright and detailed in a folk-art style. Children will enjoy finding the smiling skeleton fish, the skull party decorations, and many other details. Adults may find references to Mexican culture in this seasonal book.

About the Author-Illustrator

Flavia Z. Drago was born and raised in Mexico City. This is her debut picture book. She was shy as a child, so she wrote about a character who conquers his shyness. About this book, she says, “When I was in kindergarten, every lunch break I used to sit on a bench and wonder how the kids were able to play and talk to each other so easily. It was a mystery to me.” She is an artist and lives in Mexico.

‘Bears and Boos’ offers Halloween fun

Bears and Boos

Written by Shirley Parenteau and illustrated by David Walker

Candlewick Press, 2020

‘Bears and Boos’ is a sweet Halloween read-aloud for youngsters. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, young children can enjoy this story in the Bears on Chairs series.

The story, told in rhyme, begins with a box full of costumes. The excited bears come running. They dig through the box grabbing costumes for Halloween.

The small bears shout and tussle over the items in the box. Finally, little Floppy is knocked to the ground. When he gets up, nothing is left in the box.

Fuzzy Bear offers him a golden gown and apologizes for knocking him down. Quickly, one bear after another gives Floppy something, a wand, a necklace, and a jeweled belt that doubles as a glittering crown.

Floppy smiles and shouts, “Ta-da! Thanks to my friends, I’m the holiday queen!”

Then the bears parade outside in their costumes.

“Their costumes look great,

And their smiles do, too!

The bears shout together,

‘It’s Halloween! Boo!’ “

The story ends by saying, “When the bears all share, the bears all win. Let the Halloween celebration begin!”

David Walker's simple, brightly-colored illustrations are cheery and will please youngsters.

This year, the Covid-19 pandemic will change how children celebrate Halloween. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discourages traditional Trick or Treating and Halloween parties. Safer alternatives include a scavenger hunt for Halloween treats at home, a virtual Halloween costume contest, walking or riding around the neighborhood with the family and admiring Halloween decorations, and carving and decorating pumpkins at home.    

About the Author

Shirley Parenteau is the author of seven other books about the bears, as well as the Friendship Dolls series of middle-grade novels. About this book, she says “Halloween! Costumes! Fun! But what if there aren’t enough costumes for every bear?” Shirley lives in Elk Grove, California.    

About the Illustrator

David Walker has illustrated many children’s books, including the seven previous Bears on Chairs books and the Peep and Ducky books by David Martin. David lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.