Gustavo, the Shy Ghost

by Flavia Z. Drago

Other authorsFlavia Z. Drago (Illustrator)

Hardcover, 2020

Status

Available

Series

The World of Gustavo

Collection

Picture books

Publication

Candlewick (2020), Edition: Illustrated, 40 pages

Description

Gustavo is good at doing all sorts of ghostly things: walking through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark. And he loves almost nothing more than playing beautiful music on his violin. But Gustavo is shy, and some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye scream or making friends with other monsters. Whenever he tries getting close to them, he realizes they just can't see him. Now that the Day of the Dead is fast approaching, what can he do to make them notice him and to share with them something he loves?

User reviews

LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan

Gustavo is a ghost who is very, very shy. They have a hard time talking to people, but he tries to be present and involved, they are just not seen. But Gustavo decides to be brave, to be front and center and perform a violin concert for everyone. Now they are finally noticed, and friends are made.

The story is adorable and the artwork perfectly matches the story and tone. While the book does mention Day of the Dead, this book could be read any time and does not need to be regulated to the “holiday” shelf.

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LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26

Mexican author and artist Flavia Z. Drago makes her debut in Gustavo, the Shy Ghost, a sweet tale of a timid spirit who finally finds the friends he's been longing for. Although he had attempted to attract the attention of the other little monsters in a myriad of subtle ways, Gustavo always found

that he remained invisible to them. Eventually, he worked up the courage to invite everyone to his violin concert, to be held in the cemetery on the Day of the Dead. Here, after a rocky start, he found exactly what he was hoping for...

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost is an absolutely delightful little book, and an accomplished debut for Drago, whose work I will hope to see in many subsequent publications. The story itself is sweet and heartwarming, featuring the shy and gentle kind of ghost also to be found in such classics as Robert Bright's Georgie and sequels, and Jane Thayer's Gus the Friendly Ghost series. The mixed media illustrations are charming, with so many appealing and humorous little details, and will keep young readers engaged. Recommended to anyone seeking children's stories about friendly ghosts, as well as to picture-book readers looking for Day of the Dead stories.

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LibraryThing member jbarr5

Gustavo, the shy ghost by Flavia Z. Drago
Very shy ghost and he can do things others can. Problem is nobody can see him when he's in line to get ice cream.
He might have a solution to the problem though. Good children's story that is NOT that scary for them.
I received this book from National Library

Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

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