Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O’Connell
Every October, I pull out the Halloween-related books I’ve collected over the past few years. One of the first such books I purchased was Ten Timid Ghosts, written and illustrated by Jennifer O’Connell. It tells the story of a witch who moves into a house haunted by ghosts. She uses different disguises and objects to scare them away one at a time, all of which are relevant to Halloween. Though I try to rotate through all my Halloween books during the month, Ten Timid Ghosts seems to be the favorite among my students. I have to agree with them; there is a lot to love about this book!
- The words are just asking to be set to a tune and sung. As a music therapist, I incorporate music into each activity I use with my students, and books are no exception. The short length of each sentence and rhyme scheme make this book melodic in nature, which means coming up with a simple tune is a piece of cake.
- The illustrations are interesting, colorful, and full of detail. They keep my students’ attention, and are perfect for object identification. The ghosts are "hiding" all over the page, so finding them is a fun challenge.
- The book counts down from ten as each ghost flies away, which addresses counting and number skills.
- The ages for which this book is appropriate range widely. The suggested reading level is ages 4-8, but I’ve used this book when working with children both younger and older who have enjoyed it.
Ten Timid Ghosts is a fun story that children don’t mind hearing again and again. The language is simple, and it presents a great opportunity for reading sight words. I have no doubt that I’ll be reading this with my little ones all the way up to October 31st!