The Ghost with the Smelly Old Underwear

by José Carlos Andrés, Gómez (Illustrator)

Overview

After the success of I’m a Zcary Vampire, comes a new, not-so-scary tale that will have children laughing out loud!

Bewaaare....!

Everyone in Scaryville lives in fear of the ghost with the smelly old underwear!

One by one, the townsfolk pluck up the courage to face the smelly phantom. Will it be Mr Redpen, the school teacher who stops the ghost scaring the whole town or perhaps Shirley Burly? And what if it turns out that the ghost with the smelly old underwear is not actually that scary after all...

A funny book about courage, overcoming fears and smelly underpants!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788418599439
Publisher:	NubeOcho
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Series:	Monsters
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	11.50(w) x 9.75(h) x (d)
Lexile:	650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Teacher by career choice, José Carlos Andrés never managed to practice because theatre entered his life. He started writing theatre for children. He is fascinated by writing, because it allows him to create new worlds full of laughter and emotions. He has published theatre plays for children and families, a theatre guide, storytelling, theatre art and clowning for all ages, stories for picture books… He is the author, among others, of Adopting a Dinosaur, I’m a Zcary Vampire or The Journey of Captain Scaredy Cat.

Gómez studied Fine Arts in Salamanca, Spain. A new talent, she has worked for several publishing houses in Europe, such as SM in Spain, Le Petit Bulles Edition in France, and Scholastics and Sterling in the USA. She has published with NubeOcho Bow-Wow-Meow, Daniela the Pirate and the collection Hedgehog and Rabbit, among others.

Editorial Reviews

Review I'm A Zcary Vampire

Childlike digital illustrations evoke scribbly, chalk-textured art in fanciful colors: the little vampire has mint-hued hair and pink-outlined eyes. Those hoping the book will address how the little vampire is laughed at will be disappointed, but readers with a penchant for quirky underdog tales may enjoy. - Publishers Weekly

"A delightful picture book for fans of monster stories" - School Library Journal

Its entertaining artwork and feel-good family vibes will surprise and delight audiences as baby saltasaurus makes himself at home in the suburbs. - Foreword Reviews

Review Adopting a Dinosaur

Let’s just say no reader will be able to resist. - Kirkus Starred Review

"The humorous subject matter makes this a good choice for story time...A seasonal treat for story hours" – School Library Journal

From the Publisher

08/26/2022

PreS-Gr 2—The author of I'm a Zcary Vampire delights readers with another fun and spooky picture book. The town of Scaryville has an odorous problem, a ghost with stinky old underpants. One after another brave townspeople seek to rid Scaryville of its noxious specter, but only old Granny Fanny can find a refreshing solution. Andrés writes in a straightforward language with short sentences, while different fonts are used to make speech or important plot points stand out. The humorous subject matter makes this a good choice for story time. The illustrations support the not too scary tale, using bright colors in simple, block-like shapes; exaggerated features such as Shirley the Burly's big biceps add to the fun, VERDICT A seasonal treat for story hours. —Meaghan Nichols

School Library Journal

2022-06-22
The only thing worse than a haunting? A putrid, odiferous undergarment haunting!

The mostly human denizens of Scaryville, representing a range of skin tones, have a ghost problem. Whether they’re at the movies or just trying to sit down to dinner, the ghost with the smelly old underwear, its knickers clearly in a twist, will pop out of nowhere. Something must be done, so one by one brave volunteers march into the ghost’s castle, always retreating when they encounter the haunting. Fortunately, Old Granny Fanny, a light-skinned, gray-haired woman, appears with a pair of fresh new undies for the unhappy spirit, and things take a turn for the better. Gómez’s cartoonish art has a childlike simplicity to it. Much of the plot’s heavy lifting relies on its young audience finding the repeated phrase smelly old underwear hilarious. For those who do not, the book may be a bit of a slog. Further, the text, translated from Spanish, has its share of clunky moments. For example, the citizens of Scaryville are scared, “Because there lived… // The ghost with the smelly old underwear!!!” Putting aside precisely how a ghost “lives,” disconnections between text and image include visits to “the garbage dump,” which appears to simply be a single trash bin. This tale fails to reach its potential. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Underwear proves underwhelming in this weak attempt at eliciting preschool giggles. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews