The Ghastlies

About the Book:
The Ghastlies are the messiest and the laziest people in the world. Mountains of rubbish pile up outside their house but they don’t care. The villagers take action and all seems well until a thief strikes.

It’s a brilliant book for all ages. Families could pass it down for generations. The pictures are great too. Lizzie Koronka, aged 9.

About the Author:

Trix Jones lives near Carlisle. She has a husband, a daughter, a son, a dog and two cats. Trix has been a teacher of children and adults for many years. She loves making up stories and poems for children and now has time to write some of them down. Trix has previously published two short collections of humourous verse – Laughter Therapy and More Laughter Therapy

About the Illustrator:

Shane Surgey lives in Sheffield. He enjoys mountain biking, fell walking and playing the guitar and keyboard. He spent his childhood in Millom, Cumbria. Shane attended Black Combe Junior and Millom Secondary schools, then studied at Cumbria Institute for the Arts. Now 28 and having worked in graphic design, he is building a career as an illustrator. This is Shane’s debut children’s book.

Reviews:

AS a former teacher this reader for early learners was a joy to receive. The text provides enough repetition to give confidence but is cleverly coupled with exciting longer words in common usage which is a real booster to young children whose spoken vocabulary is usually far ahead of their reading competency.

The content carries the message of social awareness which draws upon Trix Jones’ teaching experience. She is well aware of a young child’s attraction to the Naughty people of this world! An inherent sense of justice motivates the child to follow the tale through to a satisfactory end.

The delightful illustrations by Shane Surgey are superb and should encourage interest and discussion between child and teacher. I would be tempted to ask the children to draw their own Ghastlies in an Art lesson! Shane is a gifted artist with a natural perception of what appeals to small children.

The pages are well planned and the text should not outface the diffident reader. The lamination is a good protection against sticky fingers and will add to the life span of the book. The colourful cover will tempt any child to choose this reader from the classroom library shelf for silent reading. Keswick Reminder, May 2003

It’s a brilliant book for all ages. Families could pass it down for generations. The pictures are great too. Lizzie Koronka, aged 9.