Rating: ***** 5 stars

Kazuno Kahara,
The Haunted House
Macmillan.

 Ages under 5

A little girl and her cat are about to move into a 'splendid' old house but when the little girl opens the front door she is confronted by an enormous ghost trying to prevent her from entering. Fortunately, the little girl is a witch so ghosts are not a problem.

That this is Kazuno Kohara's first published picture book comes as a surprise given her supremely confident use of black lino-cuts well disposed across the page against a matt orange background. The emphatic outlines and bold blocks of colour in this stylishly simplified design lend great individuality to this well pitced, charming story of the efficient little witch and her cat who are more than a match for the ghosts who try to scare them off. Small children from about three will delight in identifying with this intrepid ghost busting heroine and will enjoy seeing how she sets up house making use of whatever there is to hand - ghosts included.

Rosemary Stones
January 2009, No. 174

Guide to the rating system:
***** 5 stars, unmissable
**** 4 stars, very good
*** 3 stars, good
** 2 stars, fair
* 1 star, poor