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Gus the Ghost #4
Gus and the Baby Ghost
Back in print soon from Purple House Press! Gus and Mouse have moved into the Historical Museum, living there with Mr. Frizzle and Cora the cat. Late one night, Cora came in from a moonlit walk and said, “A baby ghost’s outside.”
"What do I do with it?” Gus cried. With Cora’s help and a book about caring for ghostly babies, Gus manages just fine. However, cranky Mr. Frizzle soon demands that Gus gets rid of baby ghost.
How do the two caretakers of the Historical Museum settle their differences? Well it turns out that not only is Gus a friendly ghost, but a smart one too!
"What do I do with it?” Gus cried. With Cora’s help and a book about caring for ghostly babies, Gus manages just fine. However, cranky Mr. Frizzle soon demands that Gus gets rid of baby ghost.
How do the two caretakers of the Historical Museum settle their differences? Well it turns out that not only is Gus a friendly ghost, but a smart one too!
Hardcover
First published March 1, 1972
148 people want to read
About the author
Jane Thayer
78 books15 followersJane Thayer (pen name of: Catherine Woolley) was an American writer. She is known best for the book The Puppy Who Wanted A Boy, which became the basis of a 1980s Saturday Morning cartoon series, The Puppy's Further Adventures.
Obituary from: Boston Globe, July 27, 2005
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articl...
With the 87 children's books she wrote, Catherine Woolley delighted generations of young readers around the world with stories of children, animals, a friendly ghost, and mysterious happenings.
She was so prolific that her publisher told her to use a nom de plume for some books. She chose Jane Thayer, her grandmother's name, for the many picture books she wrote.
For her older readers, she used her real name on books such as the ''Ginnie and Geneva" series about the adventures of two young girls. Many of the books were translated into foreign languages.
Ms. Woolley died Saturday in her Truro home. She was 100 and had been in failing health in recent years.
Until then, said her niece Betsy Drinkwater of Enfield, N.H., Ms. Woolley was a lover of books and a ''lifelong Democrat."
''After her 100th birthday last summer, her goal was to live long enough to vote in the 2004 election, and she did," Drinkwater said.
''She was a character," Drinkwater said. ''She never married, was very independent, and traveled all over the world. ''
A petite woman with blue eyes and curly hair, Ms. Woolley was also feisty, said a Truro neighbor, Peggy Longgood. ''She was clear in what she believed in and thought, and she would not back down on anything. She was indomitable."
Ms. Woolley continued to write into her 80s and 90s, Drinkwater said. Her last published work was 1989's ''Writing for Children," in which she advised adults how to write children's books. It wasn't easy, she warned.
Though Ms. Woolley never had children, she seemed to have a kinship with them, friends said. In her books, she often drew on her own experiences and world travels. She always urged students at the writers' workshops she taught on Cape Cod to write what they knew. In ''Writing for Children," she writes: ''There is a delight in working with words, because if you are a writer you love the magic of words and you love using words to bring children into the world you are creating."
Ms. Woolley was born in Chicago to Edward Mott and Anna Lazelle (Thayer) Woolley. She grew up in Passaic, N.J. Her father was a newspaperman in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Ms. Woolley attended both Barnard College in New York and the University of California at Los Angeles, earning her bachelor's degree from UCLA in 1927.
Ms. Woolley's niece said that after college, she worked in public relations in New York and eventually moved back with her parents in Passaic in the 1930s during the Great Depression. She lived in Passaic until she was 60.
Drinkwater believes that Ms. Woolley wrote for magazines before her first book, ''I Like Trains," was published in 1944.
In the early 1960s, she moved into a house she had bought in Truro, pounding out books on an old Remington typewriter. She never used a computer.
Among her many books were ''The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy," about a dog who was looking for a master and found more than one at an orphanage, and a series about ''Gus the Ghost," a friendly apparition.
On Cape Cod, Ms. Woolley was a fixture at writing and book events. She helped start a book club, worked with the Friends of the Truro Library, taught at writing workshops, and held story hours at the library.
When the library opened its new building in 1996, it named its children's room after her.
''Catherine's writing and literary life was paramount to her," said Anne Brock of North Truro, a former library trustee.
One of Ms. Woolley's students was Yoko Kawashima Watkins of Brewster, with whom she worked for a year on a manuscript for Watkins's suc
Obituary from: Boston Globe, July 27, 2005
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articl...
With the 87 children's books she wrote, Catherine Woolley delighted generations of young readers around the world with stories of children, animals, a friendly ghost, and mysterious happenings.
She was so prolific that her publisher told her to use a nom de plume for some books. She chose Jane Thayer, her grandmother's name, for the many picture books she wrote.
For her older readers, she used her real name on books such as the ''Ginnie and Geneva" series about the adventures of two young girls. Many of the books were translated into foreign languages.
Ms. Woolley died Saturday in her Truro home. She was 100 and had been in failing health in recent years.
Until then, said her niece Betsy Drinkwater of Enfield, N.H., Ms. Woolley was a lover of books and a ''lifelong Democrat."
''After her 100th birthday last summer, her goal was to live long enough to vote in the 2004 election, and she did," Drinkwater said.
''She was a character," Drinkwater said. ''She never married, was very independent, and traveled all over the world. ''
A petite woman with blue eyes and curly hair, Ms. Woolley was also feisty, said a Truro neighbor, Peggy Longgood. ''She was clear in what she believed in and thought, and she would not back down on anything. She was indomitable."
Ms. Woolley continued to write into her 80s and 90s, Drinkwater said. Her last published work was 1989's ''Writing for Children," in which she advised adults how to write children's books. It wasn't easy, she warned.
Though Ms. Woolley never had children, she seemed to have a kinship with them, friends said. In her books, she often drew on her own experiences and world travels. She always urged students at the writers' workshops she taught on Cape Cod to write what they knew. In ''Writing for Children," she writes: ''There is a delight in working with words, because if you are a writer you love the magic of words and you love using words to bring children into the world you are creating."
Ms. Woolley was born in Chicago to Edward Mott and Anna Lazelle (Thayer) Woolley. She grew up in Passaic, N.J. Her father was a newspaperman in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Ms. Woolley attended both Barnard College in New York and the University of California at Los Angeles, earning her bachelor's degree from UCLA in 1927.
Ms. Woolley's niece said that after college, she worked in public relations in New York and eventually moved back with her parents in Passaic in the 1930s during the Great Depression. She lived in Passaic until she was 60.
Drinkwater believes that Ms. Woolley wrote for magazines before her first book, ''I Like Trains," was published in 1944.
In the early 1960s, she moved into a house she had bought in Truro, pounding out books on an old Remington typewriter. She never used a computer.
Among her many books were ''The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy," about a dog who was looking for a master and found more than one at an orphanage, and a series about ''Gus the Ghost," a friendly apparition.
On Cape Cod, Ms. Woolley was a fixture at writing and book events. She helped start a book club, worked with the Friends of the Truro Library, taught at writing workshops, and held story hours at the library.
When the library opened its new building in 1996, it named its children's room after her.
''Catherine's writing and literary life was paramount to her," said Anne Brock of North Truro, a former library trustee.
One of Ms. Woolley's students was Yoko Kawashima Watkins of Brewster, with whom she worked for a year on a manuscript for Watkins's suc
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 23, 2018
When I was about 5, I received a book in the mail -- Gus Was a Friendly Ghost by Jane Thayer. I loved that book so much! I made my sisters read it to me nearly every night. Even now, I have a copy of the book on my permanent keeper shelf. It's one of my favorite children's books. Imagine my surprise when just this year I learned it was just the first book in a series of 8! I've been slowly reading my way through the series to make the smiles last as long as possible. I still love Gus. He was my bedtime buddy for a long time!
Gus and the Baby Ghost is the 4th book in the series. Gus lives in a historical museum with the cantankerous curator, Mr. Frizzle. Mr Frizzle wants the museum to be orderly, quiet and perfect for visitors. He runs the museum during the day, and Gus watches over it at night. Imagine Gus' surprise when one night a baby ghost is left, wrapped in a ghostly blanket, at the front door of the museum. How is Gus going to keep things orderly, quiet and perfect for visitors with a ghost baby in the museum??
This story is just as cute as the others I have read. And the illustrations by Seymour Fleishman are delightful, as usual. The story is cute and teaches a great lesson about compromise and kindness.
While I am sorry that I didn't know about these books when I was a little girl (it might have made my sisters less cranky about reading that one Gus book over and over and over again), I am enjoying reading about Gus' further exploits now. :) This is a delightful series and entertaining to read! I'm on a quest to find copies of all the books so I can have them on the shelf to read when my grandkids come to visit. :) Then they can enjoy Gus, too!
Gus and the Baby Ghost is the 4th book in the series. Gus lives in a historical museum with the cantankerous curator, Mr. Frizzle. Mr Frizzle wants the museum to be orderly, quiet and perfect for visitors. He runs the museum during the day, and Gus watches over it at night. Imagine Gus' surprise when one night a baby ghost is left, wrapped in a ghostly blanket, at the front door of the museum. How is Gus going to keep things orderly, quiet and perfect for visitors with a ghost baby in the museum??
This story is just as cute as the others I have read. And the illustrations by Seymour Fleishman are delightful, as usual. The story is cute and teaches a great lesson about compromise and kindness.
While I am sorry that I didn't know about these books when I was a little girl (it might have made my sisters less cranky about reading that one Gus book over and over and over again), I am enjoying reading about Gus' further exploits now. :) This is a delightful series and entertaining to read! I'm on a quest to find copies of all the books so I can have them on the shelf to read when my grandkids come to visit. :) Then they can enjoy Gus, too!
December 26, 2019
Love Gus!
August 31, 2013
★★★★★Gus and the Baby Ghost by Jane Thayer
I love this book. I still have my original copy from when I was 3yo. It has always been loved, so it is very worn and the spine is broke, but that's ok because ghosts don't have spines anyways.
This book is cute. It is about a ghost named Gus. He's the night watchman at the historical museum. The curator is a very cranky old guy.
One day the cat comes in and says there is a baby ghost outside. Gus takes him in and loves him, takes care of him and protects him like a parent.
This is defiantly a family favorite in my house.
I love this book. I still have my original copy from when I was 3yo. It has always been loved, so it is very worn and the spine is broke, but that's ok because ghosts don't have spines anyways.
This book is cute. It is about a ghost named Gus. He's the night watchman at the historical museum. The curator is a very cranky old guy.
One day the cat comes in and says there is a baby ghost outside. Gus takes him in and loves him, takes care of him and protects him like a parent.
This is defiantly a family favorite in my house.
March 6, 2017
I enjoyed the Gus stories when I was a child, the few I had access to. This seems new to me. It's sweet. Ghosts are, apparently, not creepy haunts of dead ppl. Just like Caspar, Gus is who he is, and now the baby is what it is, and though it eats and needs diapers, it apparently will never grow. I really don't know what the appeal is, but it's undeniably real (or magical?), and I'd love to read more in the series again.
December 1, 2012
pg 45. Gus the ghost is still one of my mother's favorite books and I remember her reading it to me over and over. It's adorable and I just love it! I wish I could give Gus a hug!
October 16, 2018
Gus worked at the Historical Museum with Mr. Fizzle. Gus worked at night and Mr. Fizzle worked during the day. One night, Gus found a baby ghost on the steps of the museum. He took it in, and with the help of the cat, he fed it, burped it and changed it. Mr. Fizzle heard crying one day and insisted Gus get rid of the baby immediately, but Gus placated him. Find out how Gus gets to keep Baby Ghost and increase the visitors to the museum! A great book to read at Halloween or anytime at all!
October 7, 2023
Such a cute little ghost story, but I find it funny that the main characters yell at each other about the baby, always waking it up...hidden youth trama being released by Thayer? We may never know:)
November 1, 2021
So cute
August 1, 2019
I remember reading this book when I was a child and it is a silly, but fun story.
I had the opportunity to visit with a friend and check out a few boxes of children's books she had kept from her childhood and her son's. The books are quite old and many are out of print, so it was a wonderful chance to revisit with some stories I read when I was young and to discover others I'd never seen before.
I had the opportunity to visit with a friend and check out a few boxes of children's books she had kept from her childhood and her son's. The books are quite old and many are out of print, so it was a wonderful chance to revisit with some stories I read when I was young and to discover others I'd never seen before.
October 23, 2022
4.5🌟 Another fun and delightful adventure for Gus the Ghost! If there had been less "screaming" by Mr. Frizzle, it would have received 5 stars. (I'm not too fond of people yelling at each other in books.) Otherwise, it's a lovely book that made me smile. Especially with all of the baby care details! This is one of my favorite childhood series!
November 28, 2018
I love this cute old book about a ghost of a historical museum who adopts a baby ghost. Good read for Halloween or anytime.
June 7, 2020
Harper age 8:I like this book because the baby ghost was so cute.
September 18, 2020
"Grown up ghost never get hungry but baby ghosts often do." Mwhahahahah.
January 25, 2021
Gus the Ghost takes in a baby ghost left on the museum’s steps against the wishes of Mr. Frizzle, the museum director.
September 10, 2021
Not as good as the first two.
March 29, 2022
Charming story that was one of my absolute favorites when I was little. The illustrations are wonderful too!
April 25, 2024
King of parenting….
October 17, 2024
I love it when I rediscover a childhood favorite! 👻
January 9, 2025
Follow up to Gus the Friendly Ghost. Gus takes care of a foundling baby ghost but first they have to learn how with the help of a book and Cora the cat!
August 10, 2025
The story was just ok. I’m disappointed there are no non-white people in the story. The police and all of the museum visitors were white.
November 26, 2016
This Thanksgiving, I found myself digging through boxes of books and toys that have been buried in my parents' crawlspace for years. Among the things I salvaged was my worn copy of Gus and the Baby Ghost. I vaguely remember enjoying the book when I was a kid, but mostly I figured it would interest my own kid, who loves "spooky books" and wants to read Ten Timid Ghosts all year long.
Rereading the book for the first time in the current century, I was intrigued by the book's positive representation of the queer relationship between Gus, the ghost, and Mr. Frizzle, the manager of the historical museum. The two "men" already share a home and the museum's responsibilities. As the story unfolds, they also agree to share parental duties, with Gus hanging the baby's diapers out to dry and Mr. Frizzle rocking the cradle. A gay dad myself, I am always pleased to discover children's books that depict different family arrangements. I did not expect to find one in the dark recesses of my parents' basement.
Anyway, I would place the book alongside Amelia Bedelia and some of the Berenstain Bears in a category of memorable children's stories that are a bit remote/old-fashioned for today's children. My own son was eager to read it and enjoyed the ghost baby's noises ("wah," "coo"), but I don't think it will become one of his favorites.
Rereading the book for the first time in the current century, I was intrigued by the book's positive representation of the queer relationship between Gus, the ghost, and Mr. Frizzle, the manager of the historical museum. The two "men" already share a home and the museum's responsibilities. As the story unfolds, they also agree to share parental duties, with Gus hanging the baby's diapers out to dry and Mr. Frizzle rocking the cradle. A gay dad myself, I am always pleased to discover children's books that depict different family arrangements. I did not expect to find one in the dark recesses of my parents' basement.
Anyway, I would place the book alongside Amelia Bedelia and some of the Berenstain Bears in a category of memorable children's stories that are a bit remote/old-fashioned for today's children. My own son was eager to read it and enjoyed the ghost baby's noises ("wah," "coo"), but I don't think it will become one of his favorites.
June 16, 2012
This is a cute story about a ghost who takes care of an abandoned baby ghost and tries to keep it a secret from the man who lives in the museum. The premise creeps me out a little bit because, well, ghosts. But at least they are nice ghosts. I'll be curious to see what my child thinks of this book once he's old enough to know what a ghost is. I suspect that as a kid this book would have scared me, even though nothing scary actually happens.
January 31, 2008
SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!! liz & i discovered this at the quiet storm a few years ago & she recently bought me my very own copy. i have xeroxed a few pages to hang in my kitchen to set an example for the houseghost. if it were cute and loving like the ghost in this book, i really wouldn't mind living in a haunted house. we'll see.....
February 23, 2011
Gus the Ghost works the night shift at a historic museum. He finds an abandoned baby ghost and learns to take care of it despite the museum director's insistence that he get rid of it. I read this as a child and honestly wish I remember what I thought of it then. Having rediscovered it today, I find the premise so bizarre and disturbing that I'm at a loss for further comment.
August 3, 2009
These books are a bit weird. I used to love them when I was a kid though.
November 16, 2011
Don't hate on Gus, people. Gus finds a baby ghost and the baby ghost does what babies do best. Makes noise and is cute. One gets it into trouble, the other gets it out of it.
April 10, 2015
I loooooved this book as a kid. I've been looking for it for years!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews