Smelly Ghost

by Isabel Atherton, Bethany Straker (Illustrations)

In Spooky Town, there live many ghosts, ghouls, skeletons, and scary creatures. However, none of these creepy characters wants to play with a particular ghost—Smelly Ghost. The reason is Smelly Ghost only consumes frightening junk food. He devours bone chips, chocolate toes, and eyeball pizza. Sadly, these foods make his tummy growl and yell—keeping everyone far, far away. Devastated, Smelly Ghost wonders why no one wants to be his friend.One day, Janice the mummy-cleaner suggests to Smelly Ghost that perhaps he try eating some creepy vegetables and spine-chilling fruit. What does he have to lose? He eagerly begins to munch on ghoul carrots and to nibble on slime bananas. And in the process, Smelly Ghost starts to feel more energetic and even floats higher and faster. Slowly but surely, the other Spooky Town inhabitants creep back toward Smelly Ghost, and he is soon playing with them every day. Smelly Ghost is an entertaining book that also encourages children to eat healthy, promoting not only a nutritious diet but also a healthy body and mind.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2013

About the author

Isabel Atherton is an author, a literary agent, and director of Creative Authors Ltd. 'Zombie Cat: The Tale of a Decomposing Kitty' (with illustrator Bethany Straker) is a dark and humorous adult picture book. It is published October 2012 by Skyhorse Publishing. You can see more about the book here: http://www.zombiecat2012.co.uk.

Isabel also writes children's picture books and these include: 'The Bad Easter Bunny' with illustrator Stephanie Rohr (pub. Feb 2013) and 'Smelly Ghost' with illustrator Bethany Straker (pub. Fall 2013). These are both published by Sky Pony.

Isabel splits her time between London and Whitstable - a seaside town in Kent, UK.

This biography was provided by the author or their representative.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The message is a bit heavy handed. I do have to say, I upped it a star because the illustrations actually show monsters and ghosts from various cultures. This was a n excellent touch.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my, these illustrations are too cute. I loved the adorable "nerdy" ghost and the other spooky residents of this world. (I also appreciated the eyeball pizza!) Kids will always laugh at fart jokes, so the idea of a gassy ghost will no doubt be a hit.
There is a message here about choosing healthier foods, and while the execution isn't completely sensical (would monsters and zombies really care about bad smells?), the book's heart is in the right place. Any media that encourages kids to choose more fruits and veggies (when very few get even the basic recommended amount) is a good thing.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork is great and the goal to help kids eat their fruits and vegetables is a good one. I didn't care for the way this book set it up though. With all the creepy, scary things that you would expect in the world of monsters, I don't imagine smelling bad would really be a negative. Other than the art, I didn't like this one much.

[Devera C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I understand where the author is coming from about eating healthy foods, but I'm not sure it is enticing to a little one when you add gross names to the foods, lol. Cute book, though. Nice illustrations.

[Jodee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good lesson just not at the right time for us being 19 months old and all.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute story about a ghost with gas. The moral of the story is to eat your veggies, so there is a hidden agenda, but with my tooting nieces, this will be welcome!

[Valetta Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed this book's colorful, interesting illustrations, cute monsterific words for everything, and storyline which prompts kids semi-subtly to eat healthy foods, I have a problem with it. Smelly Ghost can't get other scary creatures to play with him because he is always gassy and emitting nasty smells due to all the junk food he eats. So Janice, the mummy cleaner, tells him "If you ate your creepy vegetables, you wouldn't have a tummy ache and the toots would go away. Why don't you stop eating scary junk food for a few days and see how you feel? Creepy vegetables will have you happy in no time at all..." Do you see the problem with this statement? I am not alone in stating that vegetables tend to make you gassier, not less so, and really good vegetables tend to produce really strong odors in said gas!

So yes, I believe the book promotes important messages about being healthy. I do not, however, believe in doing so by making a misleading, direct statement.

[G.R. Mannering · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The concept was wonderful and so fun. As an adult without small children, I appreciated this book for it's quirkiness and beautiful illustrations. The detailed spreads were gorgeous and the story was so sweet and heart-warming. A must for this time of year!

[Mikey · Rating 1 out of 5]

worst book ever