Leonard Builds a Haunted House (Leonard the Ghost #1)

Ciccotello amusingly draws on haunted house tropes in this crisp, construction-oriented picture book about a crew of ghosts who seek to build a dream home after developers buy their condemned residence. With their belongings loaded into a “BOO-HAUL” truck, the house-hunting specters aspire to move into “the scariest haunted house EVER! A real nightmare!” But as ghost contractor Leonard leads them step-by-step through the process, the narrator expresses skepticism about each component (around the “too perfect” plumbing: “Those pipes won’t go bump in the night”). When the decor, including a heart-shaped lamp that refuses to flicker, also fails to achieve a suitably haunted vibe, the group disappointedly lament that the new abode isn’t “even a teensy-weensy bit scary.” Naturally, a visit from some neighbors reveals that Leonard had a plan all along. Depictions of the conventional home comically contrast with the narrator’s wry commentary in this haunted domestic story. Human background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (July)