cover image Boo!

Boo!

Joe Fenton, Simon & Schuster, $12.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4169-7936-4

A cherubic ghost practices being scary in this nearly wordless book with a glow-in-the-dark cover. Reading up on "scary things" like vampires and mummies, the ghost tries to approximate the creatures (using fans for bat wings and toilet paper for bandages), but no one is scared, not even Phantom, his one-eyed dog. Fenton's mostly black oil paintings are eerily highlighted with electric shades of blue, yellow, and green. While the action can be hard to follow, readers will catch the message, delivered in a twist ending, that being one's best—or scariest—means being oneself. Ages 3–6. (Aug.)