Bob's Hungry Ghost

K-Gr 2—Not since Robert Bright's Georgie has there been a picture-book ghost with such appeal. Côté sets the tone right from the beginning of her tongue-in-cheek story, when a boy named Bob gets a ghost for his birthday, instead of the dog, cat, or gerbil he was hoping for, and names it Fluffy. Accepting their strange fate, Bob and Fluffy attempt but initially fail to engage each other in mutually satisfying pastimes: Fluffy can't walk on a leash or fetch, and Bob doesn't appreciate Fluffy's impromptu games of hide-and-seek. When boredom leads Fluffy to indiscriminate eating and Bob ends up in the belly of the ghost, they both realize the error of their stubborn ways. Giggles lead to regurgitation, and the two adjust expectations to embark on a newly defined friendship. The absence of additional characters puts the focus squarely on Bob and Fluffy and affords readers a sense of intimacy with their silly situation. The varied use of page layouts, text placement, and white space render page turns pleasantly unpredictable, and the artist's signature use of crayon line with full palette watercolor adds to the ghostly yet playful atmosphere. Don't mistake this for a Halloween story. Kids will want to revisit Bob and Fluffy all year long.—Lynn Van Auken, Oak Bluffs School, MA