You would like being friends with Leo. He likes to draw, he makes delicious snacks, and most people can’t even see him. Because Leo is also a ghost. When a new family moves into his home and Leo’s efforts to welcome them are misunderstood, Leo decides it is time to leave and see the world. That is how he meets Jane, a kid with a tremendous imagination and an open position for a worthy knight. That is how Leo and Jane become friends. And that is when their adventures begin. This charming tale of friendship—from two of the best young minds in picture books: the author of the Caldecott Honor–winning Extra Yarn and the illustrator of the Bologna Ragazzi Award–winning Josephine—is destined to become a modern classic that will delight readers for years to come.

What Kind of Book is Leo: A Ghost Story

Topics

friendship ghosts

Genres

fiction

Reviews

B is for Bookworm

5.00

Lauren Hancock

5.50

With darling illustrations and a sweet story, this ghost story is a hit for any time of the year. It's a little longer than some of Mac Barnett's other books, but there are never too many words per page, so it has never been hard for my toddlers to stay invested in the story. The illustrations are just delightful.

Book Lists That Include This Book

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

Books about fiction

Books about friendship

Books about ghosts

The Creatives Behind the Book

Author

Mac Barnett

Mac Barnett is the coauthor of the Terrible Two series and the author of many picture books, which have won multiple Caldecott Honors.

Illustrator

Christian Robinson

Christian Robinson was born in Hollywood, California, in 1986. He grew up in a small one bedroom apartment with his brother, two cousins, aunt, and grandmother. Drawing became a way to make space for himself and to create the kind of world he wanted to see. He studied animation at The California Institute of the Arts and would later work with the Sesame Street Workshop and Pixar Animation Studios before becoming an illustrator of books for children. His books include Gaston and Antoinette, written by Kelly DiPucchio, and the #1 New York Times bestseller Last Stop on Market Street, written by Matt de la Peña, which was awarded the Caldecott Honor, the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, and the Newbery Medal. He presently lives in Northern California with his rescue greyhound Baldwin and several houseplants. He looks forward to one day seeing the Aurora Borealis. Visit him online at TheArtofFun.com.