The Ghost of Annabel Spoon is the story of a group of townspeople who are horrified by a miserable ghost-girl called Annabel Spoon. Out of their wits with fear, the people of the village of Twee become hysterical. But then a little boy called Herbert Kettle steps forward and calmly suggests they speak to Annabel. When the Mayor rebuffs his idea as utter madness, Herbert takes the task upon himself. He walks though the forest and up to Annabel’s house, all the while growing increasingly frightened. He enters and comes face-to-face with the ghost-girl. As it turns out, Annabel is simply sad from loneliness as everyone is too frightened to become her friend. Aaron Blabey, author of the CBCA award-winning Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley, has written a simple story that teaches children that they can overcome their fears—emphasising the importance of keeping calm and communicating. Blabey’s pastel-sketched illustrations have a thrilling ghostly style reminiscent of Edward Gorey’s macabre ink drawings in The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Written in sing-along rhyming-verse, this picture book is great for children aged five and up, particularly those who are a little shy.
Andrew Wrathall is publishing assistant for Bookseller+Publisher. This review first appeared in the September issue of Junior Bookseller+Publisher magazine.
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Tags: Aaron Blabey, The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon, Viking
