Hardly Haunted by Jessie Sima

 We're in the midst of a hot, dry summer, but it's never too soon to start thinking about the cool days of fall and those who celebrate Halloween are always looking for new spooky books. This gently spooky story by Jessie Sima is the perfect Halloween choice for storytime, with delightful repetitions of sounds that are just scary enough.

On the title page, purple-hued House watches sadly as a moving truck drives away. She wants people to live in her, but since she's empty something must be wrong with her. Perhaps she is... haunted?? As House tries to silence her creaking floors and hold together her flapping shutters, she is explored by a small black cat, who shreds her curtains and investigates the empty rooms. Finally, House tries one more time, puffing up her "cheeks" as she holds her breath and tries to keep everything as still as possible... but then a gust of wind starts a cycle of creepy sounds and House realizes just how fun being haunted can be - especially when the black cat returns with a family that's just right for a haunted house!

This reminded me a little of a spooky version of Virginia Burton's classic, The Little House, especially with House's smiling windows and pleased face at the end of the story. However, like Kazuno Kohara's The midnight library, Jessie Sima has taken a traditional story, a house that wants a family, and turned it on its head. There's no fixing up this house, she's haunted and she's proud of her spooky sounds, rattly pipes and all. Soft blues and purples swirl across the pages with shafts of yellow light shining through the house and trees and reflected in the little black cat's big eyes.

Small children will enjoy creaking, squeaking, rattling and whooshing along with the house as reader journey through the story and find out that it can be fun to be just a little spooky. The ghost family that arrives at the end is never named as such, although they are surrounded by a white haze with little floating bubbles and the children are shown zipping down through a floor as they play a game of tag at the end. There are also a few Jack o'lanterns pictured.

Verdict: A gently spooky story, perfect for storytimes with children who want a story that's just a little creepy with a comforting ending. Be aware of your audience's feelings on ghosts, Halloween, etc. before presenting this, but for the majority of listeners it should quickly become a favorite.

ISBN: 9781534441705; Published July 2021 by Simon & Schuster; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library