Leo: A Ghost Story

Product Information

For many years, Leo lived by himself in a house on the edge of the city, reading books and drawing pictures in the dust. Mac immediately establishes a connection with the reader by breaking the fourth wall and allowing them to see Leo with the first page turn when not many others in the story can see him. I’ve seen other reviewers recommending the book for ages 4-6, but I think kids much older than that will love it. I appreciated the fact that Jane is a dark-skinned young girl - too many of the more diverse picture-books out there are message-driven, and not enough are fanciful - but that this is not a narrative (or artistic) focus.

An engaging picture-book from author Mac Barnett, whose many amusing tales include Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem and Oh No!I read it together with two other titles featuring imaginary friends - The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend and Imaginary Fred - and was struck by the fact that all three books address the longing for connection, in their diverse ways.

the book emphasizes a certain sweetness with Barnett's stripped down prose and Christian Robinson's adorable illustrations.Although there is a ghost it is not scary at all, unless you have already made your tiny tot terrified of the mere word, in which case you are shit parent. The story has a light touch, but there’s so much depth: a fearful ghost, a take-charge girl, an interracial friendship, and a tale in which fear is integrally and sweetly tied to positive qualities of imagination. And in Jane, they create a brilliant heroine whose powers lie within her wit, her open mind, and her freedom of play. This tender, wistful tale of friendship, innocence, and belief is an absolute joy—simply and movingly told, with quirky illustrations that tug at the heartstrings even as they raise a smile. I love the palette of “Leo”: black, white, gray and various shades of moody blue, in a mix of acrylic paint and chunky ­construction-paper collage.