Little Ghost Makes a Friend

Halloween becomes a time for making new friends in Edkins Willis’s picture book debut, an encouraging story about a shy ghost whose new pal helps him embrace “his spooky, sparkly self.” Little Ghost has had many neighbors across hundreds of years of haunting the same house, but he has never mustered the courage to say “hello”—until the arrival of a child with shared interests. Little Ghost makes the first move by inviting the neighbor over for a Halloween party, and tender scenes of the specter preparing impart his anxious excitement. When the human invitee, portrayed with brown skin, arrives clad in a ghost costume, the pair seem to be kindred spirits, and reassurances from Little Ghost’s new companion confirm as much (“Little Ghost, I want to be friends with you just as you are”). Dusky greens, purples, and oranges lend an autumnal vibe to amiable vignettes, which readily convey the story’s affirming emotional arc. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (July)