THE MAN WHO TRICKED A GHOST

Sung is a man so brave that he thinks nothing of walking home at night, despite his friend's warning.

Accosted by a ghost (none of your flimsy European wraiths—this huge, solid-looking warrior has a fiercely craggy visage and "antique armor made of rhinoceros hide with metal scales"), Sung boldly claims to be a ghost, too. Undaunted by the ghost's mission—to scare or kill the overcourageous Sung, whom he doesn't recognize—Sung tricks him at every turn, even getting the ghost to confide that "once we are spat upon we cannot change our shape"—a useful bit of information that in the end not only saves Sung but enriches him. Yep's simple, lively narrative perfectly suits an entertaining trickster tale that, he notes, dates in written form to the third century; Seltzer matches its energy and humor in vibrant, freely rendered paintings that will enthrall listeners as much as the spooky, funny story.

A winner.