Leonard Builds a Haunted House

by Mike Ciccotello, Mike Ciccotello (Illustrator)

Overview

Perfect for fans of Gustavo the Shy Ghost, this laugh-out-loud picture book puts a charming twist on the classic haunted house tale—a funny, spook-tacular read for Halloween or any time of year.

Leonard the cheerful, can-do ghost is building his family members a new haunted house. It needs to be the scariest house EVER! Except the more Leonard builds, the less creepy their new home looks. From the un-scary cellar to the snug roof that doesn’t leak, it’s nothing like the house of horrors his family imagined . . . or is it?

Mike Ciccotello’s Leonard Builds a Haunted House is a hilariously triumphant tale about family, moving, house-building—and the spirit it takes to make something truly you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374395506
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	07/08/2025
Series:	A Leonard the Ghost Book
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	62 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mike Ciccotello is the author-illustrator of Twins, Beach Toys vs. School Supplies (a Bill Martin, Jr., Picture Book Award Winner), and Leonard Builds a Haunted House. He lives with his family in New Jersey.
Mike Ciccotello is the author-illustrator of Twins, Beach Toys vs. School Supplies (a Bill Martin, Jr., Picture Book Award Winner), Leonard Builds a Haunted House, and Leonard Grows a Haunted Garden. He lives with his family in New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

Leonard and his ghostly family are a typical spooky bunch, living in a haunted house until the town decides to demolish it to make room for a fun plex. Rather than mourning, Leonard gets to work: he finds a new plot, researches construction, and begins to build a new home . . . This is another winner from Ciccotello that blends heart and humor in both text and illustration. A fun, feel-good story about self-expression with a spooky twist, perfect all year around or the Halloween shelves.” —School Library Journal

“Ciccotello amusingly draws on haunted house tropes in this crisp, construction-oriented picture book about a crew of ghosts who seek to build a dream home after developers buy their condemned residence.” —Publishers Weekly

“Construction fans will go for the building parts, and the ghosts are admittedly quite endearing.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2025-03-22
A ghost sets out to design the perfect house for his family.

Their old house (an Addams Family–style mansion) having been condemned, the ghosts must relocate. Hard-hatted Leonard takes charge. The family finds a plot in an idyllic, leafy suburb. A contractor and a supplier are visibly uneasy with specter clients but take their money nonetheless. Leonard knows his way around a construction site, but at every step, family members object. The house isn’t haunted enough! It isn’t dank or dark! Where are the “creaks and leaks”? What about the cobwebs? Laconic Leonard is undeterred. Once the home is finished, it looks perfectly ordinary. Soon neighbors and a dog (last seen lifting a leg on the For Sale sign) arrive with a welcome balloon and brownies. As the ghosts peek out, the terrified humans flee, and the ghosts grab the goodies. Pleasant, precise cartoon-type art features realistic colors and depicts the phantoms as white blobs with arms, differentiated by accessories such as a bow tie, hair ribbon, or propeller cap. The puns might tickle adult readers, and the odd sight gag may elicit a chuckle here and there. Overall, though, it’s a lengthy buildup to a rather underwhelming punchline. Construction fans will go for the building parts, and the ghosts are admittedly quite endearing, but most readers will be disappointed. Human characters are diverse.

Offers a few laughs but not likely to become a storytime favorite.(Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews