Plenty of potty references and a bully who gets what he deserves thanks to a juicy “sneeze-boo” ensure chortles galore from the emergent-reader set for the ghostly Johnny’s fourth appearance. Ghostlet Squiggle—a comma-shaped wisp in Kochalka’s very simple colored panels—is on his own while Johnny Boo plays with Rocky the Rock. Lonely, he thinks that Mean Little Boy might be a new friend, but he learns better when MLB traps him in a jar before rushing off to pee. “I hope you PEE your PANTS!” shouts Squiggle after him. “Oh wait. Was that a mean thing to say?” By the time MLB comes back (wearing a different pair of pants), Johnny has shown up to rescue his ectoplasmic little buddy with a loud “BOO!”—accompanied by a messy sneeze, as he’s coming down with a cold. Closing with a jovial further discussion of Mean Little Boy’s weeing habits, this entry should make as big a splash as the earlier episodes. (Graphic early reader. 5-7)
