Moving in to a big old house at the edge of town, a young girl and her cat need to take care of one thing before they get settled—get rid of the ghosts! While this attractive orange and black book has the appearance of a Halloween story, it’s really about a clever girl with creative house-cleaning strategies. Donning her witch apparel, the girl and cat fly about sweeping the tissue-thin ghosts into a basket, loading them into the washing machine, and hanging them out to dry. Woodcut-like images effectively illustrate the simple story, and the depictions of the girl, cat, and ghosts are especially appealing. Best of all, the laundered ghosts become nice curtains and cozy blankets to accent their new home! This un-scary story is sure to delight the preschool set. (Ages 2–4)

JUST THE RIGHT MIX OF SWEET AND SCARY for the youngest trick-or treaters

At the edge of town lives a clever girl with a spooky problem: Her house is haunted! Luckily, she happens to be a witch and knows a little something about taking care of ghosts. She catches them, puts them in the washing machine, airs them out to dry, and gives them new lives as sofa covers, table cloths, and, of course, bed sheets to cozy up under. Fresh and charming illustrations in dynamic orange, black and white bring this resourceful heroine and these spooky ghosts to life.