Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Bob’s Hungry Ghost
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Tundra Books, 2014 ISBN: 978-1770497139
Bob would like to get a pet, but on his birthday, instead of getting a dog, a cat or a gerbil, Bob gets a ghost. It is a white-all-over smiley ghost that floats around. For some reason Bob decides to call the ghost Fluffy. It does not really matter what Bob calls the ghost, because Fluffy does not come when he is summoned. He does not sit either. Or fetch. Nor can Fluffy be walked on a leash. One thing he does very well is to fly. He can also play hide-and-seek, but for some reason Bob does not appreciate this very much.
Bob does not end up doing much with his ghost, and not surprisingly Fluffy starts to get bored. When ghosts (and some humans) get bored, they get hungry. When ghosts get hungry they start eating everything and anything, and this is what happens with Fluffy. He starts to eat things in Bob’s house, including furniture and Bob’s teapot. Fluffy gets bigger and bigger, and Bob gets more and more puzzled. Where are his things and why is Fluffy getting so big?
Pets get bored when they have nothing to do. Dogs chew furniture and shoes, cat kill carpets and steal things, and apparently ghosts start consuming everything in sight. Children are going to enjoy seeing how Bob deals with his ghost problem, and they will appreciate why the ghost becomes a problem in the first place. There is a moral to this story: don’t neglect your pet, no matter what kind of creature it is.
