Little Ghoul Goes to School

Starred review from May 1, 2021

PreS-Gr 2-As she gobbles up a bedtime snack of spiders and brushes her teeth with rotten-onion toothpaste, Little Ghoul is nervous about the next morning, the first day of school. The young monster's mother tucks her into bed and reassures her "little maggot" that her first day will be just horrible. When she wakes up, Little Ghoul hopes for the weather to be cold and rainy, but is disgruntled by the sight of a bright and sunny morning. Expecting her teacher to be mean, she is disappointed to discover they are welcoming and caring. Little Ghoul's classmates are human children diverse in race, gender, and ability, and don't appear the least bit bothered by a pleasant first day of school. After enduring such a nice morning, Little Ghoul is ready for the disgusting and rotten lunch waiting in her lunch box, but is once again defeated at the sight of a delicious sandwich and cookie. A smiling boy even tries to be Little Ghoul's friend and she runs away screaming. Suddenly Little Ghoul is jolted awake by the beeping of her alarm clock. Was it all just a good dream? This book hilariously depicts a little monster's alternative reality using bold cartoon-style illustrations drawn with ink and digitally colored. Pair with a little dinosaur's first day of school in Ryan T. Higgins's We Don't Eat Our Classmates for a laugh-out-loud story time. VERDICT A recommended, imaginative, and playful read-aloud perfect for preschool and early elementary school, sure to scare away the first-day-of-school nerves.-Emily Brush, Novi P.L., MI

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2021
Little Ghoul is nervous for her first day of school: What if everything is nice? Her mother assures her little green daughter that everything and everyone will be perfectly awful. But when she wakes up, the weather is sunny and warm, not rainy and cold as she had hoped. The bus driver is smiling and kind instead of terrifying. The principal welcomes everyone with a smile. And it is all downhill from there: Nothing is as horrible as she had hoped. Finally, a boy actually shakes her hand and asks to be friends, sending Little Ghoul screaming. Thankfully, Little Ghoul wakes up to find that this awful experience was just a nightmare. As her mom sends her off, the weather is indeed cold and rainy. Her teacher is "hideous," lunch is "repulsive," and the librarian, the same creepy Ms. Shelley as in her dream, lets her know that "everything [will] be all right." Little Ghoul's fears, loves, and habits will induce many grossed-out giggles, and the story may serve as a clever anxiety-reducing tale for little ones who are nervous about starting school themselves. The illustrations are as entertaining as the text, adding a layer of humor with the reversal of what's delightful and what's fearful in the perspective of this oddly endearing little monster. The children and teachers in Little Ghoul's nightmare are racially diverse humans; with the exception of Ms. Shelley, a woman of color, her waking reality is populated by (not-too-scary) monsters. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An adorably soothing introduction to the potential terrors of school. (Picture book. 4-6)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2021
Grades K-2 Czekaj's splendidly horrid twist on the standard account of first-day jitters is bound to get kids giggling. It's the night before school starts and Little Ghoul, a bright green youngster with spiky hair and a pronounced underbite, is nervous about what the next day will bring. Her mother comforts her, assuring Little Ghoul that school will be dreadful, and soon the wee monster falls asleep. The next morning, things immediately start going wrong: the weather is bright and sunny instead of cold and rainy, how Little Ghoul likes it; her teacher is kind; her classmates are nice; and her lunch is not her favorite maggot-and-brown-banana-peel sandwich. Suddenly, Little Ghoul wakes up and discovers it was all an awful nightmare. Kids will enjoy the joke of Little Ghoul's worst day resembling most people's best. The simple, cartoon illustrations play up the story's humor and a reassuringly cool, goth librarian makes it into both versions of Little Ghoul's school day, dreamed and actual. A fun book for releasing nerves and finding comfort, whatever that may mean for you.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 28, 2021
Little Ghoul, a light green fanged creature, hopes her first day of school will be awful, with a rusty bus, a mean teacher, and no friends. But the bus has a friendly driver, and the principal of Sunshine
Elementary greets her with a grin. Her peanut-butter-and-jelly lunch is a far cry from her preferred “maggot-and-brown-banana-peel sandwich, rotten milk, and a pickle-and-fishbone cookie for dessert.” But the tattooed librarian, Ms. Shelley, might just save the day. Author-illustrator Czekaj plays reversals throughout to full comedic effect: “Her mom slobbered on her and tenderly said, ‘I hope you have dreadful nightmares.’ ” Comics-style paneled art, rendered in ink and colored digitally, is approachable, expressive, and inclusive, with characters of differing abilities, religions, and skin tones. Adults will appreciate allusions to Mary Shelley and Edward Gorey in this entertaining subversion, which simultaneously serves as an ode to librarians. Ages 4–8.

September 1, 2021
New-to-school fears are humorously explored in this story of one little ghoul whose first day doesn't go as expected. Despite her mother's assurances ("Don't worry, my little maggot...I'm sure school will be just ghastly!"), the ghoul contends with un-grouchy grownups; a non-disgusting lunch ("There was even a chocolate chip cookie! Ewwwwww!"); and, worst of all, a possible human friend. Luckily, and with the help of her goth school librarian, a twist ending sets everything to rights. Czekaj's (Hip & Hop Don't Stop, rev. 5/10) digitally colored ink illustrations feature simple shapes and bright colors and star a wide-eyed, green-skinned protagonist with a fanged underbite -- and a uniquely monstrous perspective on a common kid milestone. Elissa Gershowitz

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2021
New-to-school fears are humorously explored in this story of one little ghoul whose first day doesn't go as expected. Despite her mother's assurances ("Don't worry, my little maggot...I'm sure school will be just ghastly!"), the ghoul contends with un-grouchy grownups; a non-disgusting lunch ("There was even a chocolate chip cookie! Ewwwwww!"); and, worst of all, a possible human friend. Luckily, and with the help of her goth school librarian, a twist ending sets everything to rights. Czekaj's (Hip & Hop Don't Stop, rev. 5/10) digitally colored ink illustrations feature simple shapes and bright colors and star a wide-eyed, green-skinned protagonist with a fanged underbite -- and a uniquely monstrous perspective on a common kid milestone.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)