The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Fox, Mem

The Goblin and the Empty Chair

32 pp. | Simon/Beach Lane | September, 2009 | Trade ISBN 978-1-4169-8585-9 $17.99

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Leo Dillon & Diane Dillon. A goblin, solitary and lonely, encounters a family full of sorrow. He stealthily helps the farmer and the farmer's wife, then sits, soothingly, at the ill daughter's bedside. When his compassion is discovered, the family invites him into the household. With its rhythmic repetitions, the text has a cozy folktale feel; the illustrations tell a starker story of grief and loss.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2009