GILBERT THE GHOST

Gilbert is different than his fellow ghosts at Ghost School—not only is he a pale pink, instead of white, but when he tries to say "Boo," all that comes out is a stammering "Ba... ba... bahoo." The principal banishes Gilbert to the menacing "Abandoned Tower" to learn how to be scary, but when he meets Meow, a black cat with a purple bow around his tail, the two new friends turn the forbidding, decrepit tower into a cozy abode, complete with curtains, vases of flowers, and a roaring fireplace. It's a sweet story about outsider friendship that is just slightly scary in places. While the plot is as airy as Gilbert himself, it's hard not to be charmed by van Genechten's smiley, rosy-cheeked ghosts, who could give Casper a run for his money in the cuteness department. Ages 4-up. (July)