Have You Ever Seen a Ghost? by Daniel Kwan and Julia Pott, illustrated by Sean Lewis (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 48 pages, ages 4-8). Although we can’t see Ghost, the text makes it clear that they are a little nervous–trying on a hat, changing hairstyles, using powder to cover up blushes that appear when they’re embarrassment. It turns out Ghost is going to a party tonight. Can they practice some small talk with you? What should Ghost bring the hostess, who, it turns out, is Martha, someone Ghost wants desperately to impress? Finally, after a calming cup of tea, Ghost heads to Martha’s house. And the party turns out to be amazing! Martha loves the hostess gift, and at the end, we get to see the two ghosts grinning in a photo.

Social anxiety is addressed in a fun and reassuring way, as Ghost shares all their worries and insecurities about going to a party. The illustrations cleverly make the reader “see” Ghost even though they are invisible until the very last page. The ghostly party looks like an empty living room with some musical notes, but it’s easy to imagine a spectral gathering. This would be great to pair with Mole Is Not Alone to explore ways to deal with anxieties about parties and other gatherings.

Who Knows the Way to Mr. Grimly’s Classroom? by Chris Priestly, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio (Candlewick, 32 pages, ages 4-9). Grace volunteers to deliver a book to Mr. Grimly, assuring her teacher, Miss Flytrap, that she knows the way. “But it was Grace’s first week at her strange new school, and she did not know the way.” Grace wanders through dark, cobwebby halls before finally deciding to ask for help. Miss Endpaper, the librarian, points her in the right direction. The journey gets even more fantastical, with large taxidermied animals, creepy statues, and…Mrs. Nightshade? Yes, that’s the head teacher lurking in the shadows next to one of the statues. She directs Grace across the fog-covered playground and into a stone tower. Finally, after a zipline ride, a few more staircases, and an encounter with a lunch lady, Grace arrives at Mr. Grimly’s classroom! But, alas, Mr. Grimly tells her the book actually belongs to Miss Scuttling, so off Grace goes again….

Halloween would be the perfect time to introduce Grace and her school, which seems like a cross between the Haunted Mansion and Wayside School. The story is both funny and spooky, but the illustrations, filled with shadows and every haunted house trope you can imagine, will really spark kids’ imaginations.

The Yellow Postcard: A Story About Food and Community by Savannah Allen (Viking Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, ages 4-8). Taylor is excited when her older sister ‘Tea wakes her up with the news that the yellow postcard has come in the mail. This card, sent to most of the people in the neighborhood, allows them each to pick up a “surprise box” filled with an assortment of food. Taylor’s hoping for some fancy macaroni, and she joins the neighbors in a joyful walk to the food bank. Happiness is replaced with worry, though, when they have to wait in a long line, and Taylor is afraid there won’t be enough. Finally, though, she gets her box and enjoys unpacking it, even if it doesn’t contain the much-anticipated macaroni. Their neighbor saves the day by giving her the bag she received, and everyone goes back home to enjoy a community feast. Includes an author’s note about the shame often experienced around food insecurity, which she herself experienced as a child.

With roughly 20% of American children experiencing food insecurity, this is a book that will be appreciated in many settings, with its celebration of both the variety of foods available at the food bank and the neighborhood community that enjoys sharing a meal together.

Homesick by Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Daniel Miyares (Neal Porter Books, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Poppy is excited for her first sleepover at Mimi and G-Pa’s house. But Home is not. While Poppy is baking bread, collecting pinecones, and reading her mom’s old books at her grandparents’, Home is feeling empty and lonely. And when Poppy wakes up the next morning, she finds that she feels the same way. Mimi diagnoses her with homesickness and reminds her that “it can help to remember there’s a good home waiting when you’re out having adventures.” So Poppy decides to have some adventures with her grandparents that day, and when they drive her home, she and Home have a joyful reunion.

Anyone who has ever been homesick will recognize the feelings experienced by both Poppy and Home and will enjoy remembering what it’s like to come back home again. The illustrations mirror the feelings, with Poppy’s excitement portrayed with yellow backgrounds and Home’s melancholy shown mostly in blues. Everything gets bathed in a golden light when Poppy gets back home again.

The Brunch Shift by Adrienne Thurman, illustrated by Mags DeRoma (Random House Studio, 40 pages, ages 4-8). The narrator is up at dawn to accompany Mama to her Saturday shift at the diner. She tries to stay out of the way of Mr. Wong, the boss, who rewards her with a stack of her favorite blueberry pancakes. The day is long and sometimes boring, but when she gets a few minutes with her mother, Mama makes up an imaginary game about chasing dragons or capturing art thieves or flying to the moon. By the time the two of them ride the bus home in the dark, the girl is sleepy and wishing she could have a regular Saturday at home like other people. But a surprise detour reminds her that “whenever I’m with Mama…there’s magic.”

A perfect story for this Labor Day season, showing a single working mother doing her best to earn money for her daughter but also bring some magic into her life. The illustrations do a great job of weaving Mama’s imaginative play into the everyday life of bus rides and diners. The story reminded me of The Paper Kingdom by Helena Ku Rhee, another picture book depicting a working family who tries to make life the best they can for their child.