Goldfish Ghost

"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. (May)

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,

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*"In the field of pet bereavement narratives, this one stands out for tenderness, originality, and subtlety."—Horn Book, starred review