My toddler loves discipline. Specifically, the discipline he administers to Mango, the family cat. “No!” he admonishes as Mango jumps onto the table, tries to eat a Lego, scratches at the scratchpad. He has not fully grasped the rules to which Mango is subject, but he has discovered that the feeling of being in charge, however illusory, is intoxicating.
Aggie, the eponymous protagonist of Matthew Forsythe’s third book Aggie and the Ghost (Simon & Schuster, 2025) is chasing that same feeling.
From Aggie and the Ghost. Illustration and text by Matthew Forsythe.
Aggie is excited to move into a house of her own, seeking independence and solitude. Her retreat is immediately disturbed by the haunting of a mischievous, shape-shifting ghost, one who steals Aggie’s socks, eats her cheese, and keeps her up at all hours of the night. In a delightful role-reversal—one that appeals to my toddler’s own tyrannical impulses—the child, Aggie, makes longer and longer lists of house rules in a fruitless attempt to quash the ghost’s roguish pranks.
Like Forsythe’s other books (Pokko and the Drum, Mina), Aggie and the Ghost has a particular charm made up of pleasing contrasts. A quiet, sylvan setting is disrupted by an agitating force. Sparse text conveys tender emotion. Deceptively simple character designs, almost reminiscent of pixelated video games, overlay lush backgrounds.
Parents who play Stardew Valley will feel at home here.
From Aggie and the Ghost. Illustration and text by Matthew Forsythe.
I love how the tension from these contrasts all build toward a humorous climax: Aggie and her ghost face off in a dramatic tic-tac-toe match; control vs. chaos battling for possession of the little cottage they share.
Such “plot punchlines” are hallmarks of Forsythe’s books and keep readers of all ages returning to their pages. Aggie might be my favorite of the three, but each deserves a place on your shelf.
From the department of one more delight
“My favorite picture books – or any books for that matter – are the ones you can return to over the years and find new layers of meaning.” For fans of Forsythe, his interview with Orion Magazine provides a closer look at the inspirations for Aggie and the Ghost.
Until next week,
Mara