Gilbert the Ghost

by Guido van Genechten

Overview

Bestselling children's book, from award-winning author-illustrator Guido Van Genechten, is now a BOARD BOOK! Perfect for Halloween storytime or any other time!

“A little ghost unapologetically makes the most of being different....Different never looked so appealing. ” - Kirkus Reviews

“A sweet story about outsider friendship that is just slightly scary in places.... it's hard not to be charmed by van Genechten's smiley, rosy-cheeked ghosts, who could give Casper a run for his money in the cuteness department” – Publisher’s Weekly

Ghost Gilbert is a very special ghost, ever since he was little. When he goes to Ghost school, he quickly makes a lot of new friends. Gilbert always cheerfully takes part in everything. But when the Principal wants him to call “Boooooooh” just like a real ghost, all Gilbert can do is whisper a soft “Bahoo”. Will Gilbert ever become a real ghost?

A warm picture book about a different and special ghost, about fitting in and being true to yourself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605377155
Publisher:	Clavis
Publication date:	08/31/2021
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 8.66(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	2 - 7 Years

About the Author

Guido Van Genechten (1957, Belgium) studied drawing and painting, graphics and photography. Afterward, he worked for many years in the graphic industry. Now Guido works as a full-time illustrator of children’s books. In 1998 he won the international Illustrator’s Award City of Hasselt with his picture book Ricky. This prize was the beginning of his international career as a children’s book illustrator. Since that moment, Guido Van Genechten has created many best-selling stories and received several awards. In 2007 he was the winner of the Reader’s Digest Award for Best Children’s Book Illustrator. And in the past ten years, his books were published in 30 countries around the world.

Interviews

Long ago, when traveling through Scotland with my parents, I met Gilbert in an old castle. He told me his life story, which I always remembered. "Ghosts only exist in books," my Dad once said. That's why I wanted, so many years later, to write this book for, and about, Gilbert. That way, he'll exist forever.

Editorial Reviews

"A little ghost unapologetically makes the most of being different.
From the beginning, pink-sheeted Gilbert stands out among all the other white-draped ghosts, but his parents love him no less for it. His peers accept him too, letting him daydream alone in his room at Ghost School when he wants to. But the principal is not so understanding, banishing him to the Abandoned Tower when Gilbert can summon only a weak "Ba...ba...bahoo" during "real ghost" class. Off Gilbert floats to the tower, where he meets a black cat named Meow, who wears a pink bow on his tail and shares Gilbert's penchant for interior decoration. They make the tower into a cozy home, where they entertain all the other ghosts when they get tired of haunting. What with the color and behavior codes planted in the story and illustrations, it's hard not to read this as a coming-out allegory, but the agenda does nothing to weigh down its sheer, goofy good-heartedness. Van Genechten adopts a gray palette for the ghostly scenes, Gilbert's pink sheet noticeably standing out; Gilbert and Meow's tower home features green-and-pink curtains and porcelain tea things, all lit with a rosy glow. Children will wonder why Gilbert's loving parents don't stick up for him, but they'll also applaud the way Gilbert calmly makes his own way.
"Different" never looked so appealing." - Kirkus Reviews

"Gilbert is different than his fellow ghosts at Ghost School—not only is he a pale pink, instead of white, but when he tries to say “Boo,” all that comes out is a stammering “Ba... ba... bahoo.” The principal banishes Gilbert to the menacing “Abandoned Tower” to learn how to be scary, but when he meets Meow, a black cat with a purple bow around his tail, the two new friends turn the forbidding, decrepit tower into a cozy abode, complete with curtains, vases of flowers, and a roaring fireplace. It’s a sweet story about outsider friendship that is just slightly scary in places. While the plot is as airy as Gilbert himself, it’s hard not to be charmed by van Genechten’s smiley, rosy-cheeked ghosts, who could give Casper a run for his money in the cuteness department." - Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2015-07-15
A little ghost unapologetically makes the most of being different. From the beginning, pink-sheeted Gilbert stands out among all the other white-draped ghosts, but his parents love him no less for it. His peers accept him too, letting him daydream alone in his room at Ghost School when he wants to. But the principal is not so understanding, banishing him to the Abandoned Tower when Gilbert can summon only a weak "Ba...ba...bahoo" during "real ghost" class. Off Gilbert floats to the tower, where he meets a black cat named Meow, who wears a pink bow on his tail and shares Gilbert's penchant for interior decoration. They make the tower into a cozy home, where they entertain all the other ghosts when they get tired of haunting. What with the color and behavior codes planted in the story and illustrations, it's hard not to read this as a coming-out allegory, but the agenda does nothing to weigh down its sheer, goofy good-heartedness. Van Genechten adopts a gray palette for the ghostly scenes, Gilbert's pink sheet noticeably standing out; Gilbert and Meow's tower home features green-and-pink curtains and porcelain tea things, all lit with a rosy glow. Children will wonder why Gilbert's loving parents don't stick up for him, but they'll also applaud the way Gilbert calmly makes his own way. "Different" never looked so appealing. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews