Goldfish Ghost

March 13, 2017
“Goldfish Ghost was born on the surface of the water in a bowl on the dresser in a boy’s room,” writes Snicket (The Dark) at the outset of this melancholic looking-for-friendship story, using the fish’s off-screen death as a new beginning. Brown (The Airport Book) draws Goldfish Ghost in black and white, surrounded by a world of color; he floats through the air upside-down, as any dead fish should. No one notices the ghost as he drifts over a seaside village and beach, looking for someone to talk to. Brown packs her watercolor-and-ink spreads with activity as families enjoy the salt air and seagulls wheel, yet none of it calls to Goldfish Ghost. Even among the ghosts of other sea creatures, he doesn’t feel at home. At last, at the top of a supposedly haunted lighthouse, he finds “very good company” in the ghost of the lighthouse keeper. Goldfish Ghost is an enigmatic hero—is he lonely, or just fussy?—but Snicket’s portrayal of the lighthouse keeper’s intuitive kindness and Brown’s subdued, moonlit landscapes resolve the story with moments of magic. Ages 3–6. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary.

March 1, 2017
The ghost of a pet goldfish searches for a new home in this newest picture book from Snicket. "Goldfish Ghost was born on the surface of the water in a bowl on the dresser in a boy's room." So begins a sweet and somber tale of a literal fish out of water, who finds the afterlife exceedingly lonely. A pale umbra carried by the wind, Goldfish Ghost floats quietly (and perpetually upside down) out of his bowl in search of conversation and company. But "it can be hard to find the company you are looking for," and though he comes upon a flock of shrieking birds over the pier, a crowd of sunbathers on the beach, and even several ghosts of sea creatures hovering above the ocean, none feel quite right. Late in the day, just when he has given up, Goldfish Ghost at last hears a friendly voice of another lonely ghost hoping to find a friend, and settled atop a lighthouse, the two make excellent company. Although they occupy the same space on the page as their living counterparts, the ghostly specters (marked by their solid white coloring) are suffused with quiet emotion as they move between spreads. Mirroring the text's unhurried and occasionally awkwardly paced narrative, Brown expertly and with deceptive simplicity sets the questing ghosts apart from the frenetic bustle of the living world. A lovely, untrammeled look at a pet's afterlife. (Picture book. 3-7)

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Starred review from April 1, 2017
K-Gr 3-In a droll twist on the typical -beloved dead pet- story, this one opens with a death-reimagined as an otherworldly birth-of a boy's pet goldfish. Born upside down and floating on top of his fishbowl, Goldfish Ghost, who remains in that position throughout, slowly drifts out of the boy's bedroom and along the idyllic seascapes of Cape Cod in search of companionship. The many shrieking seagulls pay him no heed, the busy vacationers already have friends and family, and the mass of deceased sea creatures floating above the ocean aren't quite Goldfish Ghost's scene. Eventually, the melancholic little specter finds a forever home in a lighthouse with the former lighthouse keeper, a grandmotherly presence who places him gently in the warm light that -once shone for sailors at sea.- Unlike most picture books about death, this take is wholly unconcerned with the emotional repercussions felt by the pet's owner, and instead focuses squarely, and with deadpan charm, on answering one of life's most baffling and enduring questions: What happens when we die? And his answer is, perhaps surprisingly for the author of the delightfully dark -A Series of Unfortunate Events,- rather comforting. Brown's signature India ink and watercolor illustrations add to the subtle tongue-in-cheek humor, depicting the titular former pet in stark black-and-white (with a single flat and staring eye) against the colorful blues, greens, and coral shades of the vacation town. As in her previous works (The Airport Book; Mummy Cat), relatable details and visual Easter eggs add depth and dimension to the setting and supporting cast of characters. VERDICT Can a book about death and the afterlife be refreshing and funny? In the hands of Snicket and Brown, indeed it can. This oddball offering should find a welcome home in any picture book collection.-Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2017
Preschool-G A lonely specter of a once-loved pet goldfish wanders a beach town in search of company in this deadpan picture book from the well-loved Snicket. After growing bored of floating atop the goldfish bowl in his owner's bedroom, the ghost floats out the window and sees the sights: the pier, with loud seagulls; the main street bustling with people, none of whom need company; and the beach, covered in sunbathers and another ghostly pair, though they don't notice the goldfish. Brown's lively cartoonish illustrations render the town and its people in saturated, muted tones, and the dense scenes are full of fun details to discover, such as a school of ghost sea creatures, all in a spooky pallor and floating upside down, just like the goldfish. The crisp, white ghosts stand out sharply from the colorful scenes, but they're subtle enough that it's still a delight to spot them. And not to worry: the ghostly goldfish gets a happy ending. Hand this winsome, slightly eerie tale to fans of Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson's Leo: A Ghost Story (2015). HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Snicket's macabre tales have made him a household name; don't expect this ghost story to slip by unnoticed.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

Starred review from May 1, 2017
This story begins with a death framed in terms of a birth. Goldfish Ghost was born on the surface of the water in a bowl on the dresser in a boy's room. Our hero is faced with the classic ghost dilemmas: loneliness and the need for connection. He wafts around the seaside town (upside-down, of course), looking for companionship. But the world of the living has no time for a small ghost fish. Finally, he meets the ghost of a lighthouse keeper, who is also looking for company, and his wanderings are over. The two ghosts settled in together, looking out quietly at the world. They were very good company. In this straightforward quest story, told in simple words, the emotion is conveyed by color. The world of the living, a crowded, noisy beach scene, is all warm pink and beige, the figures interacting with one another and with the landscape. The ghost world is slate-gray and dark teal, and the ghost figures, in typing-paper white, sit atop the background; they aren't integrated into it. When the lighthouse keeper places the ghost fish inside the lighthouse lightitself only a memory of a lighthe takes on a faint hint of color, a hint of the goldfish he used to be. It's an oddly powerful visual detail. In the field of pet bereavement narratives, this one stands out for tenderness, originality, and subtlety. sarah ellis

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)