The House with Nobody in It

In this gently eerie board book ghost story, Klassen (Your Truck) invites readers to venture into the ostensibly empty residence that inspires the work’s shape. Narration proceeds in a neutral tone as a speaker invites the curious to enter via a doorway: “There is nobody in this house. There used to be somebody. But there is nobody now. Let’s go look inside.” As the tour moves along, each progressive spread represents a new room, die-cuts allow glimpses into surrounding spaces, and straightforward commentary observes the abode’s spare, darkly inked décor (“This room has a chair in it. Let’s go into the next room”). Soon, the light in the house begins to dim, and a spectral figure appears in a chamber that’s described as hosting only “a small stool on the floor.... And a lamp.” Wholly unmentioned by the speaker, the ghost is subsequently seen staring out through the die-cuts as the remaining pages turn, delivering readers again outside: “There is nobody in this house. There used to be somebody. But there is nobody now.” Via deadpan prose that seems to hinge on a literal interpretation of “no body,” the narrator’s seemingly unreliable observations deliciously heighten the dwelling’s sense of mystery. Giving youngest readers ample space to contemplate their own perceptions, Klassen again displays a remarkable knack for creating lingering, fully realized works through the sparsest storytelling. Ages 3–7. (July)