THE HAPPY GHOST

An underwater tale from Marshalsey that challenges young readers to overcome the fear of being seen as different.

The book begins with a red octopus looking for shells, mistaking a passing stingray for a ghost,  and then fleeing in panic (“It’s a happy ghost! I need to hide!”). The next day, other sea creatures, like yellow fish, react similarly. The community is terrified of this unknown creature until an old turtle connects with the stingray and reveals the truth: The new member of their underwater community is just a “gentle” and “sweet” stingray—not a dangerous ghost. “I just want to befriend you. There’s no need to hide,” the stingray explains to the characters, who quickly make amends for their initial judgment. The story is a wonderful early entry point to showing young readers the importance of not making assumptions about their peers. Vibrant descriptor phrases like “Click-clacking teal crabs” or “wise old turtle,” paired with the curving, ripple-like flow of the text, add movement and character to the pages and marine world. The bright digital illustrations also complement the story, adding soft, expressive characteristics to the whimsical and enchanting underwater backdrop. A factual page at the end offers six kid-friendly stingray facts and invites readers to “spread your arms open wide” like a stingray, adding a science lesson to an otherwise light-hearted tale of treating strangers with kindness.

Skillfully conjures a seascape filled with adorable characters and offers a reminder to welcome difference with compassion.