Leo: A Ghost Story

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Leo: A Ghost Story
Leo A Ghost Story.jpg
Author Mac Barnett
Audio read byNicol Zanzarella
Illustrator Christian Robinson
Cover artistRobinson
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's book
Published2015
Publisher Chronicle Books
Publication placeUnited States
Pages52
ISBN 9781452131566

Leo: A Ghost Story is a 2015 children's book written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Christian Robinson. [1] It is about a ghost named Leo, who leaves his long-time home after a new family moves in. He eventually finds a new home with Jane, a young girl who befriends him. A short film based on the book was released in 2017. It was animated by Galen Fott and narrated by Nicol Zanzarella. [2]

Reception

Leo: A Ghost Story was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book in 2015. [3]

Kirkus Reviews wrote: "Robinson creates a vintage 1950s-'60s feel, offering up a raw version of M. Sasek. Together, words and pictures construct a whimsical, delightful story that deeply respects the child. And in Jane, they create a brilliant heroine whose powers lie within her wit, her open mind, and her freedom of play." [4]

Many reviews draw attention to the book's visual design. Erin Reilly-Sanders, writing for School Library Journal, notes: "Robinson solves the issue of a white ghost on a white page smartly by depicting Leo as a blue outline on white paper. Leo beautifully contrasts with the geometrically composed live humans, and Robinson finds some clever opportunities for depicting Leo’s transparency." [5] Allison Barney, at The Horn Book Magazine, states: "Robinson utilizes spot illustrations as well as single- and double-page spreads to great effect. . . . The text placement, different on every page, takes illustrations and word flow into account, drawing readers' eyes so that they take in the story in its entirety." [6]

Marjorie Ingall, writing for the New York Times, offers a summation of the book's central themes: "The story has a light touch, but there’s so much depth: a fearful ghost, a take-charge girl, an interracial friendship, and a tale in which fear is integrally and sweetly tied to positive qualities of imagination." [1]

References

  1. 1 2 Ingall, Marjorie (9 October 2015). "'Leo: A Ghost Story,' 'Max the Brave' and More". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Fott, Galen (2017-06-01), Leo: A Ghost Story (Short, Family), Nicol Zanzarella, Weston Woods Studios, retrieved 2025-08-27
  3. ↑ Times, The New York (2015-10-28). "The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2015". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  4. ↑ "LEO | Kirkus Reviews" . Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  5. ↑ SLJ. "Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett | SLJ Review". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  6. ↑ Barney, Allison. "Calling Caldecott | Leo: A Ghost Story". The Horn Book. Retrieved 2025-08-27.


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