Did You Say Ghosts? [Library Binding]

Richard Michelson (Author), Leonard Baskin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1993

A deliciously scary cumulative tale, with the series of possible monsters that follow each scared of something else. Kids will enjoy the humor as well as the shiver these all-star spooks bring.

Enriched by noted artist, Leonard Baskin's gallery of frightful imaginings, this is not a bedtime book, for the skeletons, witches, and other spooky creatures conjured up will lull no child to sleep! Instead, this is a humorous and spine-chilling repetitive story for older children.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this good-humored picture book, a parent pounces on a child's fear of the things that go bump in the night and transforms it into a game. The narrator, in verse, banteringly dismisses the existence of ghosts, then adds "the werewolves' bay-- / AIYAAA . . . / would scare a ghost away!" At which point all dread of ghosts cedes to a sudden terror of werewolves ("Did you say werewolves?"). Each new apparition is quickly supplanted by another, even more frightening entity. The rhyme hurtles along, full of glee, punctuated by the child's loud shouts of dread-filled surprise. But it is obvious that the child is now delighted by each arrival, egging on the adult for the next in the gallery of ghouls. Oversize watercolors, which combine an effective mix of somber grays and splashes of bright paint, are both eerie and exotic, and convey--spiritedly--the giddy intrigue of the text. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

An anything-but-soothing bedtime rhyme for two voices: ``Everything will be all right./There aren't any ghosts in sight...'' ``GHOSTS! DID YOU SAY GHOSTS?'' ``There's no such thing as spooks or ghosts./I guarantee it...well, almost...'' In dark, thick colors and broad strokes, Baskin renders an array of supernatural creatures--witch, demon, gorgon, ghoul, even a ``slithy tove''--as shadowy shapes, not as ferocious as those in Imps, Demons, Hobgoblins, Witches, Fairies and Elves (1984), but larger and more melodramatically posed. Some are done up in ways that are almost comically crude, which, together with Michelson's teasing tone, gives young readers the option of laughing or shivering. (Picture book. 6-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Library Binding: 24 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Juv) (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027669157
• ISBN-13: 978-0027669152
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,152,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghosts, August 25, 2008

By 

S. J Parker (Edmond, Ok) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Did You Say Ghosts? (Library Binding)

My grandson loves this book. The artwork is interesting & we have fun talking about the pictures.