Johnny Boo and the Mean Little Boy

Johnny Boo is a happy little ghost, and his sidekick friend, Squiggle, returns in his fourth adventure. Squiggle just wants to spend the day playing with him. However, Johnny Boo insists he's playing with another friend (that he makes up), to avoid spending the day with Squiggle. From this simple setup, lessons on friendship and truth telling are learned, as Boo and Squiggle encounter a new friend who isn't so friendly. Kochalka's clearly placed panels, simple illustrations with bright bold colors, and large speech balloons are packaged nicely into short and readable chapters, perfect for beginning readers. The story is made complete with a photo of Kochalka's drawing hand at the end of the book, which many readers will find amusing. Ages 6–10. (June)