See the Ghost

Starred review from May 1, 2023
Preschool-Grade 2 *Starred Review* Oh, the things readers will see in these comic, easy-reader stories about intangible forces (a ghost, the wind, and a fairy) and the trouble they wreak on familiar characters Dog and Cat. Simple sentences follow a predictable pattern for those developing their reading skills, but the stories' action always takes a delightfully unexpected turn. Through the clever use of speech bubbles and Wohnoutka's delightful, inventive illustrations, three invisible things are animated and given tremendous personality. It is a remarkable feat to pack so many genuine laughs into such a simple text for emerging readers. In the vein of its predecessor, See the Dog: Three Stories about a Cat (2021), there is delightful interaction between the characters and the reader and even a meta-commentary between the characters and the book itself that assumes a flattering intelligence in its child reader. This Geisel-winning series keeps the bar high with this newest installment. Not only does it set beginning readers up for success with repetition and context clues galore, but it entertains to its very core.

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Starred review from May 1, 2023
Big laughs from this early reader. Broken into three stories, LaRochelle's accessible text will inspire confidence and giggles in new readers. Wohnoutka's gouache, comics-inspired illustrations use speech balloons to ratchet up the humor while providing context cues to support emerging decoding skills and ample white space for resting the eyes. Ironic counterpoint between art and text is an immediate source of comedy as readers are told to "See the ghost" on Page 1 of the first story, while speech-balloon text on the facing page reads, "Boo!" and points to an invisible speaker. Sight unseen, the ghost scares a yellow dog ("Yikes!" it cries) and a blue cat ("It's a ghost! Help! Help! Save me!"), whom readers may recognize from the creators' See the Cat (202) and See the Dog (2021). The ghost is then confused when another "Boo!" fails to frighten some flowers. When another invisible character shows up in the second story, "See the Wind," blustery gusts cause havoc in new humorous situations with the cat and dog. A fairy arrives in the third tale, exclaiming in her speech balloon, "Hi! My name is Trixie! I am so small that you cannot even see me. Hee-hee!" She's mischievous, too, and her tricks prompt strong reactions from the dog, cat, and even the wind. Trixie makes amends by gifting the cat and dog new kites, which they fly in the wind as they "spend the afternoon together." See the star? Buy the book. (Early reader. 5-7)

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Starred review from October 27, 2023

PreS-Gr 3-Straightforward text and speech bubbles combine with simple illustrations for three stories about a ghost, the wind, and a fairy in a humorous collection of stories reminiscent of Mo Willems's Elephant and Piggie. This latest title in the "See the Cat" series features the cat and dog from earlier books. Young readers will delight in the unseen ghost scaring the dog and cat with a "Boo!" and then wondering why it doesn't scare flowers. The wind blows the cat, dog, leaves, and words off the page, and then blows them back. The fairy named Trixie is "so small that you cannot even see me," and waves her magic wand at the cat, dog, ghost, and wind before they all end up enjoying the day together. This early reader, with ample white space and simple pictures that put the emphasis on the words, also works as a fun read-aloud. Another standout title from LaRochelle. VERDICT A delightful and humorous first purchase for early reader collections.-Carrie Voliva

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