l to r: Jessica Boyd and Brooke Kerrigan

A Wee Boo is a story with big heart and a dash of spookiness, out in time for Halloween.

Author Jessica Boyd and illustrator Brooke Kerrigan tell the story of Wee Boo, an adorable little ghost who is on her third attempt to pass the haunting test. She is an anomaly among her ghost peers, who’ve had to take the test twice at most to earn their licence.

The test takes place in a home with a mom, dad, and baby. Can Wee Boo finally live up to her calling as a spine-tingling phantom? Although the adults of the home may not pay much attention to the peculiar creaks and slight disturbances she causes, in one bedroom Boo finds the little baby. Surely scaring a baby cannot be difficult. As she emits her spooky sounds and assumes many silly faces, the baby bursts out in a fit of giggles. Alerted by the sound of laughter, the parents come to see what is causing the commotion and are creeped out when they witness their baby laughing at nothing.

Just like that, Boo is teleported back to the ghostly realm and given the good news that she has passed her test and can begin haunting the house. To Boo’s delight, she spends her days making the baby laugh, finding that her destiny is not to be a spooky ghost, but instead to be an imaginary friend.

Kerrigan’s cool, subdued colours establish the ambience of chilly fall days. Her watercolours and gouache create the perfect translucent effect for the ghosts, highlighting the sense of the ephemeral. Wee Boo is an instantly lovable character who stands apart from her more beady-eyed, shadowy counterparts. Kerrigan’s emphasis of Boo’s cherubic features using pencil crayon – big saucer eyes, flushed cheeks, and a red hat – conveys broad emotion and will easily evoke sympathy from readers.

The cute ghost who is unable to scare will resonate with many little readers. When you’re small and cute it’s hard to be taken seriously by bigger kids and adults. But as this story proves, the goal is not to be like others – it’s to find a way to be your unique self.