The Ghost-Eye Tree (Owlet Book)

Rating:
Summary: The Ghost-Eye Tree
Review: Granted, I haven't read this book since I became an adult, but when I read it as a child I remember being terrified and loving it! It's definately something I plan on buying and keeping for my kids in the future!

Rating:
Summary: For those kids who want to be scared
Review: Granted, I haven't read this book since I became an adult, but when I read it as a child I remember being terrified and loving it! It's definately something I plan on buying and keeping for my kids in the future!

Rating:
Summary: Fun story to read to children
Review: Quite an enjoyable book to read to young children between 4 and 8. Your kids will want you to read this story over and over again. They will follow the suspense, reciting along with the rhythmic flow of the story. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: not such a great story
Review: Story of a sister and brother who have to walk in the dark to get milk from the dairy farmer. Their journey includes a walk past the "ghost-tree" which everyone is scared of. The first pass-by goes well and they don't want to admit they are scared (but they are). The second time the wind moves the tree and they hear a big "whoo" sound and they get scared and run. As readers we can see the owl in the tree (that made the noise) and we know that the tree's branches were blowing in the wind, not reaching out to grab the children (as they thought).

This is a good book to read to children to show that it is all right to feel scared, but that most times our fears are unfounded.

The parts I don't approve of are that three times the sister makes fun of her brother's hat and says it looks dumb and that it makes him look stupid. I don't like that kind of talk. He tries to stick up for himself but we see that at one point he has accepted that the hat he loves does look dumb and that he does look stupid. I felt bad for him. At this point the sister says that she didn't really mean what she said. But later when the hat is back on (they lost it temporarily), she goes back to name-calling and teasing. And the dairy farmer also teases the boy about the hat and says it looks like a good bucket to put the milk in. The poor boy gets defensive and is upset by the further teasing from the farmer.

The book ends with the boy still being afraid of the ghost-eye tree. The book is spooky and may scare sensitive children. Overall I don't think this is any wonderful kind of story, the illustrations are nothing special. When I read it aloud to my son in my husband's presence, I asked for his opinion. He said, "it is a big nothing". I agree. My low rating is a combination of my dislike of the teasing and the mediocre storyline and illustrations.

Rating:
Summary: Dramatic Illustrations and a Fun book to read aloud.
Review: The authors Bill Martin and John Archambault present a haunting and well-paced story of a young boy's relationship with a "ghost"tree.

Ted Rand's pictures match the story very well. You can feel the atmosphere and tension in his illustrations. Feel the icy wind blowing through the ghost tree. Read this book to get into the mood for Halloween. A great picture book with interesting text.

Rating:
Summary: Superb writing and illustration... perfect spooky mood
Review: This book is well written and superbly illustrated, as perfect a match of word tone and illustration as you can find. My 3 year old daughter quite enjoys the spooky mood, the scary ghost-eye tree, and the haunting refrain, "Oooo... I dreaded to go... I dreaded the tree... Why does Mama always choose me when the night is so dark and the mind runs free?" This is a year-round book, not just for the Halloween season.

In response to the reviewer who says the language is harsh, I can agree with that although let me add that it is rather realistic (although not to be encouraged) given the ages of the sister and brother in the book. My remedy is that when the sister says, "stupid," I instead read aloud the word "silly" in its place.

We also greatly enjoy the book Barn Dance by the same group of authors/illustrators. Barn Dance is different in that it has an actual supernatural element and is less a spooky book and more a book of wonder/imagination with a touch of friendly spookiness.

Rating:
Summary: The Ghost-Eye Tree
Review: This is a very scary story that just might scare you. A mother asks her two little children to go and get her a pale of milk on the other side of town. They tell themselves that they are not scared of the Ghost-Eye tree that is in the middle of the town. Nothing seems to be going wrong until the end when they are on their way back home. It might frighten you, but if you are a person who likes a spooky ending this is a great book for you to read.

Josh V.