The Tickle Ghost

David McKee has created some of the most loved characters in contemporary children’s books, including Elmer the Patchwork Elephant and King Rollo. Here he teams up with his son to create a story about a bedtime ritual where a dad dresses up as a ghost and has some rough and tumble play with his little boy. Mum doesn’t like the noise coming from upstairs, but ends up getting tickled too. The text does not quite capture the spontaneity of the games but the illustrations with their large blocks of bold colour and pleasantly chubby people are vintage McKee.