See the Ghost: Three Stories about Things You Cannot See
by David LaRochelle
illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
Candlewick Press, July 2023
Ages: Preschool to Grade 3
ISBN 978–1536219821
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The Geisel Award-winning creators of See the Cat and See the Dog are back! This time, Max the dog and Baby Cakes the cat are grappling with some curious things they can’t see.
See the wind blow the leaves.
See the wind blow the leaves off the page.
See the wind blow the dog off the page.
In a new trio of stories, Max and Baby Cakes encounter a scare-happy ghost who has a run-in with a mirror, the wind at its blustery best, and a teeny-tiny fairy with a wayward wand who may have met her match. Beginning readers will laugh out loud when they “see” these invisible things that go “Boo!,”“Whoosh!,”and “Hey! … Will you let me back into the book?”
Buy the Book
bookshop.org
(local booksellers)
Resources
Seeing is believing! Take a look at these free creative writing and drawing extension sheets!
Read a conversation between David and Mike as they discuss the creation of this book, and view a unique piece of artwork from Mike.
Awards and Recognition
- Kirkus’ Best Books of the Year, 2023
- School Library Journal’s Best Transitional Books, 2023
- Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Children’s Books, 2023
- Bank Street College of Education’s Best Children’s Books of 2023
- Junior Library Guild selection
Reviews
“Simple sentences follow a predictable pattern for those developing their reading skills, but the stories’ action always takes a delightfully unexpected turn. Through the clever use of speech bubbles and Wohnoutka’s delightful, inventive illustrations, three invisible things are animated and given tremendous personality. It is a remarkable feat to pack so many genuine laughs into such a simple text for emerging readers. In the vein of its predecessor, See the Dog: Three Stories about a Cat (2021), there is delightful interaction between the characters and the reader and even a meta-commentary between the characters and the book itself that assumes a flattering intelligence in its child reader. This Geisel-winning series keeps the bar high with this newest installment. Not only does it set beginning readers up for success with repetition and context clues galore, but it entertains to its very core.” (Booklist, starred review)
“Big laughs from this early reader. Broken into three stories, LaRochelle’s accessible text will inspire confidence and giggles in new readers. Wohnoutka’s gouache, comics-inspired illustrations use speech balloons to ratchet up the humor while providing context cues to support emerging decoding skills and ample white space for resting the eyes. Ironic counterpoint between art and text is an immediate source of comedy … See the star? Buy the book.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)
“Another standout title from LaRochelle. VERDICT A delightful and humorous first purchase for early reader collections.” (School Library Journal, starred review)
“Though it is meant to be read by early elementary students, middle-grade students will enjoy reading this book to their younger siblings and classmates, thanks to the clever trickery within its pages. For the same reason, See the Ghost makes a good, non-baby-ish picture book to share with reading-challenged students in middle-school and beyond … Like Ruth Krauss’s and Crockett Johnson’s classic early reader, The Carrot Seed (1945), See the Ghost is one of those early readers that adults won’t mind reading with their children/students. And if you’re one of those people who judge the price of a children’s book by how many times it gets read, you’ll be satisfied. They’ll pick this one up until they can read it all by themselves, after which you can pass it on to another beginning reader who is sure to appreciate it.” New York Journal of Books