A Ghost Story

by Bill Martin Jr., Eric Carle (Illustrator)

Brief text and illustrations trace the journey of a spirit that lives in a bottle.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Halloween

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Bill Martin, Jr. (1916-2004) was an elementary-school principal, teacher, writer, and poet. His more than 300 books, among them the bestselling classics Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See ; Polar Bear Polar Bear What Do You Hear ; Panda Bear Panda Bear What Do You See ; and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom , are a testament to his ability to speak directly to children. Martin held a doctoral degree in early childhood education. Born in Kansas, he worked as an elementary-school principal in Chicago before moving to New York City, where he worked in publishing, developing innovative reading programs for schools. After several years, he devoted himself full-time to writing his children's books. He lived in New York until 1993, when he moved to Texas. He lived in the east Texas woods, near the town of Commerce, until he passed away in 2004.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/billma...

Reviews

[IvyInThePages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 leaves out of 5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes

[Renegade Librarian Extraordinaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start this review by saying I've been searching for this particular version of "Dark, Dark Woods" for literally decades! Back in the early 80s, my first grade teacher had it on her classroom bookshelf, and I recall reading it multiple times during Silent Reading Time. And it stuck with me.

I distinctly remembered the book's unique artwork, that the monster was called (specifically) "An Evil Spirit", that the cover was kind of blue, and the time period when I encountered it, but very little else. So when I took it to the Great Collective Brain at the Goodreads "What's The Name of That Book" group, I had very little hope of actually finding it. But lo and behold, someone else out there in Goodreadslandia knew of the book too! Not only that, they had an author! And a title! I typed it into my library's online catalog and there it was! A few days later it was in my hands.

The parts of this book I remembered are exactly as they were...plus some scary details I forgot (like the "jump" moment at the end). The story is actually pretty creepy, made more so by repetition of the phrase "dark, dark _____", and the artwork, while simplified, is very dark and eerie. I can see how the whole package made such a strong impression on (6 year old) me.

I'm very, very happy to have found this book. Now I can put to rest that nagging part of my brain that has wanted to remember and re-read. Or perhaps I should just stash it in a Dark Dark Bottle and leave in a Dark Dark Cellar. That way, I'll know exactly where to find it so it will be waiting for me next time.

Thanks Goodreads for all the help

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars--Shivery, creepy, and atmospheric! Although it is an easy reader, it probably wouldn't make a great bedtime story...I could see how this one could easily prompt scary dreams in the youngest set.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to scare the shit out of a little kid, this is the book for you.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin Quest #39
Strange rhythmic tale with an ending that some younger readers may find alarming, not sure this would be good to read just before sleep time.

[Jeani · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a repeating word book (dark dark, ghost ghost, etc) and is definitely an early reader, but the idea that the ghost is in your pocket at the end is icky to me! LOL. I did not like this.