Customer Reviews

The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe (Picture Puffins)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To all Parents,grandparents, of whatever stripe: this book is the Quintessence of a Children's Book!!!!! Since my Husband found this Volume: I let him compleat the Review.
Quite by chance, I found this Book on a Sale Table and was 1st struck by the Quality of the Artwork. A quick review of the contents was then in order. The Text was so well written, that I found the nearest chair, and read the entire (unnumbered)15pages!
I am also an amateur historian: and the fellow you might see at Colonial Williamsburg(VA) in a cocked hat and kneebreeches: so I was also interested in the details of the Artwork. In brief, they are superb,and add immensley to the value of the story line.
If you but buy just One Book for the Child in your Life: MAke it this One Book"The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe". You and the children will be most satisfied with it. I cannot rate it highly enough, in this day of 'computer english' and the Degredation of the English Tongue.
Mrs. Harriett Anthony& "Squire" Charles Anthony

I bought this on a whim years ago from a discount bin and it's been one of my favorites ever since. Darkly funny with witty and detailed illustrations, The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe is a blast to read aloud; especially when everyone chants our poor, ghostly hero's lament together,

"Forevermore I quest, I quest, till my bones together rest!"

My 4-year-old daughter picked this book out at the library. She loves scary books and movies. After reading the book to her, I realized I must have a copy.

The language in the book is beautiful, poetic, and not "dumbed down" just becuase it is a children's book. It is a wonderful book to read aloud.

I would recommend this book. It is not too scary for those children who may scare easily.

When old Nicholas Greebe dies, he is given a hasty burial in the dead of winter, and rests in peace for about a year. Then, a curious dog digs up one of his bones and carries it off, and Nicholas is not so happy. His spirit returns to his home and haunts it, scaring off visitors and plaguing his widow with the words:
"From this night forth
I quest, I quest,
till all my bones
together rest."

Meanwhile, the missing bone in question is experiencing an amazing adventure. It ends up on a whaling ship bound for Alaska, which suffers a tragedy, and the bone ends up in a fishing net. Will Nicholas Greebe's skeleton ever be complete, and will his spirit find peace at last?

The illustrations remind one of vintage children's books, and capture a time long past (the story is set in the 1700s). The story itself is not scary but Nicholas Greebe's ghost does have a spooky demeanor so it all depends on the young child reading or being read to. My first grader loved this story (she checked it out from her school library). I have a feeling this is going to be added to our list of Halloween favorites,

A perfect start to our family's Halloween bedtime readings; this delightfully spooky story follows the pilfering of a bone from Nicholas Greebe's shallow grave and a century of weird events that transpire until the bone is returned. Nicholas Greebe's ghost chants:

"From this night forth
I quest, I quest
till all my bones
together rest."

My sons (ages 8 and 7) enjoyed this book. I narrated the book, borrowing Vincent Price's voice and cadence. Author Tony Johnston opens with the following text artfully placed between the winding limbs of a winter tree: "In Colonial times, quiet Massachusetts valleys--dark with trees, threaded with rivers, and often cloaked in fog--gave rise to thoughts of the supernatural. There, among hidden hills, tales of haunts and ghosts abounded. Tales such as this one..."

We generally set aside 15-20 minutes each night for bedtime readings and alternate between chapter and picture books. The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe was a perfect length (32 pages). S.D. Schindler's artwork balances the story, e.g. his illustration of the whaler mesmerized my sons as I read "While Nicholas Greebe's ghost searched in vain, the pilfered bone had begun a remarkable journey."

Some of the new vocabulary my sons learned:
Pewter
Midst
Resonant
Levitation
Pilfered
Scrimshaw
Fluke
Satchel

In summary, The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe is an enjoyable ghost story that deftly manages to be spooky without being scary, matching its kindergarten-to-third grade audience. I highly recommend this book for bedtime reading, especially around the Halloween holiday. Rating: Four stars.

We checked this out from the library a few times, then I finally bought it for my son--it's his favorite book (he's 5), which is saying something since we've probably read 200 books this year. We all enjoy it; excellent illustrations, entertaining story, incorporates a ghost, yet isn't too scary for a 3- and 5-year-old.

Ah, around this time of year there is nothing like a classic-style ghost story that manages to bring in a historical setting that tempts the reader to research the events. Here, colonial New England provides the phantom of a farmer whose femur had been stolen by the worst of fiends--a dog looking for a tasty bone. While the bone goes on the journey of several life times, Old Nick haunts the property and everyone else.

Rather than beng out to terrify, this makes itself to be a comfortable, friendly and often humerous story. Terry Johnston is excellent at providing a complex narrative to tell such a simple story--the result is charming. I also loved the perspective-charged pictures.

I wish I would have written this book! The language is amazing and fun to read over and over. My boys, 6 and 3, love this book, and so do I (which is great since I'm the one reading it). I'm sad that this book is out of print because it's a gem.

Students at my school library are always asking for scary books, but appropriate stories are few and far between. This will satisfy many of them. Set in Colonial Massachusetts, the story, in which a dog digs up a bone from the body of Nicholas Greebe begins an incredible, hundred-year journey for that bone. Greebe's ghost waits and haunts his former home until the bone miraculously returns. The illustrations add just the right detail and mood to the story.