The Christmas Eve ghost

Title:

Author:

Hughes, Shirley, 1927-2022, author.

Summary:

Bronwen and Dylan, living with their widowed mother in Liverpool, England, in the 1930s, have been cautioned not to have anything to do with their neighbors, the O'Rileys, who go to a different church, but they all learn a lesson about helping each other when Mam leaves the children alone on Christmas Eve to go to the store and they are comforted by Mrs. O'Riley when they think a ghost has invaded the house.

Audience:

2.6 Follett Library Resources

K-3 Follett Library Resources

Edition:

1st U.S. ed.

Physical Description:

[32] p. : col. ill. ; 24 x 28 cm.

Genre:

Christmas fiction.

Historical fiction.

Picture books.

Subject Term:

Laundry -- Juvenile fiction.

Single-parent families -- Juvenile fiction.

Prejudices -- Juvenile fiction.

Geographic Term:

Liverpool (England) -- History -- 20th century -- Juvenile fiction.

Great Britain -- History -- George VI, 1936-1952 -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Candlewick Press,

Publication Date:

2010

ISBN:

9780763644727

Publication Information:

Somerville, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2010.

Call Number:

P HUGHES

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607002380510	Holiday Picture Books	HUGHES	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Two children find goodwill and acceptance in unexpected places -- even in the hardest of times -- in a moving tale from a master picturebook creator.

In 1930s Liverpool, where streetcars clang on iron tracks, young Bronwen and Dylan live with their widowed Mam. Every day, in the wee hours of morning, Mam leaves the two alone as she gathers other people's laundry to boil in a big metal copper at home. At night, if she's not too tired, Mam tells fanciful tales of dragons and ghosties, and on Sunday, she cautions the children about the O'Rileys next door, who go to a church that is not for their kind. But on Christmas Eve, when Mam must go out, Bronwen and Dylan hear a ghostly plonk! plonk! plonk! from the washroom that sends them running straight into the arms of Mrs. O'Riley. Not only do they find that the house next door harbors nothing to fear, but it may hold a blessing for Mam, too. With evocative drawings full of compelling detail, Shirley Hughes tells a timeless, genuine tale of community and human kindness.

Author Notes

Author and illustrator Shirley Hughes was born near Liverpool, U. K. on July 16, 1927. She studied drawing and costume design at Liverpool School of Art and the Ruskin School of Drawing in Oxford. At first, she was an illustrator of other author's works, but in 1960 she published Lucy and Tom's Day, which was the first book she wrote and illustrated. Since then, she has written over 50 books and has illustrated 200 children's books. In 2015, she wrote a young adult novel entitled, Hero on a Bicycle. She won the Kate Greenaway Medal for Dogger in 1977, the Eleanor Farjeon Award for distinguished services to children's literature in 1984, and the OBE for services to children's literature in 1998. Hughes was given two Honorary Degrees, one from the University of Liverpool in 2004, and the other from the University of Chester in 2012. In 2017, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Shirley Hughes died at her home in London on February 25, 2022. She was 94.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 3-The author/illustrator draws on her memories of 1930s Liverpool to tell this story of a widow and her two children struggling to make ends meet. When the youngsters are left alone while the mother runs an errand on Christmas Eve, they are frightened by ghostly noises coming from the other side of the wall. They have been warned to stay away from the neighbors, the O'Rileys, who go to a church for a "different kind of people, not their kind." Mrs. O'Riley turns out to be an understanding, nurturing adult who takes the siblings in and reveals the source of the noise. American children may not understand the source of the initial religious intolerance. However, Hughes's old-fashioned illustrations are the draw here, and many will find this to be a satisfying family read-aloud.-Virginia Walter, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.