Ghost, Ghoul, and Little Mouse: A Halloween Tale of Friendship and Fun

Mouse lives all alone in a dark, creaking house at the top of a hill. Longing for some friends, he is delighted when two unexpected visitors arrive. Ghost and Ghoul both think that the house is perfect for them and are so busy arguing about how best to haunt it that they fail to notice Little Mouse with his welcome sign and the delicious cake he has made to share. Whilst Ghost and Ghoul decide to hold a scare-off to see which one of them manages to frighten a passing bear the most, Little Mouse watches from the side lines, trying to catch their attention. Eventually, he gives up . . . with surprising results, and the three become firm friends!

The perfect gently scary story for Hallowe’en, Ghost, Ghoul and Little Mouse is a spook-tacular read! All sweet Little Mouse wants are some friends to share things with. Lonely in the house on the hill, he is quick to welcome others and is understandably hurt when Ghost and Ghoul are so busy arguing that they ignore all his friendly overtures. Readers will empathise with his feelings whilst enjoying the ridiculous antics of Ghost and Ghoul as they completely fail to scare Bear.

The illustrations are wonderful, making great use of colour to complement the spooky season. For those of us who hate the idea of 'Trick or Treat'-ing, stories offer wonderful possibilities for engaging children with fun activities. In this case, children might enjoy inventing a range of 'spooky' events or games, leading to their gaining certificates in Horrifying Haunting like Ghost and Ghoul! They could create their own board game, Ghosts and Ghouls, based on Snakes and Ladders, or play 'pin the hat' on either one of them! The illustrations give endless ideas for decorations - and for baking a cake like Little Mouse! Or perhaps some Ghost or Ghoul shaped biscuits! Great fun!

Picture book / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+

A spooky tale with an unsuspecting boss! Poor Little Mouse is ignored by his new friends until suddenly they realise how useful he could be. The story has a nice message centred around friendship, giving several lessons about how to treat other people and how to look after everyone.

Ghost, Goul and Little Mouse has lots of opportunities for discussions about how each of the characters are feeling, especially as a result of how the other characters are behaving, which is always good for young readers. This would be a great story to read at Halloween either at home or at school for this reason.

The pictures are have an attractive colour palette which sets a spooky and simultaneously quite a calming tone. The purples and orange tones have a really nice Halloween effect. We really enjoyed the spread where Little Mouse accidentally casts a huge shadow which scares the bear away. It shows just how powerful he can be despite being tiny.

My toddler really enjoyed the spread where Ghost and Ghoul are shouting spooky noises at each other - he loved their scary faces!

Picture book / Reviewed by Lucy Hopkins, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+

Little Mouse lives all by himself in an old, run-down house. That is, until a Ghost and a Ghoul move in. Little mouse is excited but Ghost and Ghoul don't see him at all; they are too busy arguing. But Little Mouse eventually shows that being little can be big.

Ghost, Ghoul, and Little Mouse is a sweet story that ends in unlikely friendships. It will be a great story for this year's Halloween season that will be read and re-read long after. The pops of orange in all the illustrations help to make sure a book about scaring, ghouls and ghosts is not scary at all. A real triumph.

Picture book / Reviewed by Jen Bevan, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+