NO GHOST UNDER MY BED

When Jake can't sleep, he calls his favorite ghostbuster. His bedroom is bathed in shadow, but both Jake (a cute little penguin with a permanent smile) and his white teddy bear are wide awake. He hears funny noises: "cr...cr...crack!" There must be a ghost under the bed! Dad is there lickety-split. Must be the bed creaking, he says. After explaining there's no such thing as ghosts, he does check under the bed. Before long, Jake hears another sound—"sshh...sshh...sshh..."—just the wind, according to Dad. He hears noises in the wardrobe, the toy chest, under the carpet, and Dad comes every time to check. In the end, Jake knows there aren't any ghosts because Dad has chased them all away. It's nice to have a nurturing Dad story, and each element—van Genechten's choice of muted but not gloomy palette, simple language, crisp type and uncluttered pictures—seems just right for a very young audience, as is its shorter-than–Bedtime for Frances length. The abundance of sounds and repetition of key phrases makes it great for reading aloud. (Picture book. 3-6)