Happy Halloween!
This is a repost from eight years ago and thankfully, it is still available online. Leo is a book I have always loved. While not a Halloween book, it works beautifully for today as a great read aloud with your kids. I hope you can find a copy in the library and share it with them.
"The family called in a scientist, a clergyman,
and a psychic to get rid of the ghost.
But they should have saved their money: Leo
knew he was unwanted. He said goodbye to
his home and left."
Poor Leo! He has been living in the same house for many years, with only himself for company. His life is sedate, yet pleasing. When a new family moves in, he does his best to make them feel at home. The family is not interested in his good intentions. They are afraid of ghostly doings. As they sit together in the bathtub trying to decide what to do, they make their feelings very clear. They do not want a ghost!
Having been a house ghost for so long, Leo looks at this new stage in his life as an adventure. He chooses to be a roaming ghost. The city has changed: he doesn't like the noise, or the fact that places are not as he remembers them. No one can see him; he can't ask questions; he is lonely. Luckily, one afternoon, he meets a girl who can see him. Leo introduces himself, and becomes part of Jane's lively, imaginary world.
When Leo learns that Jane thinks he is imaginary, he is afraid to tell her the truth. As the story plays out, Leo must finally admit to her that he is a ghost. She readily accepts this new knowledge, liking him even more because of it.
Christian Robinson uses acrylic paint and construction paper in blues and blacks to match the tone of Mac Barnett's text. The child-like drawings on the endpapers are an invitation to young readers to 'come on in' and see what's happening. On the title page, we watch as Leo walks through the wall, and in the final frame, we see him walk out on the other side. In between, we are witness to the difficulties and delights that is testament to a fine life lived as a ghost.
Wonderful!
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