Stylish, intriguing and thoughtful. The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon was a pure delight to read to my two as their bedtime story.
Former actor Aaron Blabey launched on to the children’s book scene in 2007 with Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley, with a very high level of success. His distinctive style and voice lend his books a charm and sophistication that is a delight to see, read and share.
The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon re tells the story of “the village of Twee,” whose “township was plagued by a ghost!” As the villagers huddle together, and mumble and grumble Miss Annabel Spoon lurks at all hours in various places giving the villagers a fright.
“Oh, the horror! The panic!
The townsfolk were manic!
They suffered distemper and fits.”
Of course, it takes just one person to pipe up with a bit of common sense and courage to work out a solution – loving the change in colour and tone on the final page when all is well. (No spoiler here, you’ll have to read it for more details on the storyline!)
It’s not enough to inform you simply of the storyline, for the charm of this picture book lies of course in the way it is told and the amazing illustrations that convey the impact of Miss Annabel Spoon on the village of Twee. Clearly the talent of Aaron Blabey lies in his ability to capture the facial expressions of his characters – these really are the stand out elements of each page, telling a story of their own!
The quality of the language, attention to the subtle details and descriptions are all here – making this a great experience for more confident readers.
“Well, his nerve turned to butter”
and,
“a small voice did puncture
the noise in the room like a spear.”
Ultimately the rhythm, the rhyme, the pace and the plot all combine to create a winning book – this is going off to a few people we know this Halloween!
Read our highly amusing interview with Aaron here.
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