Robert Bright (1902–1988)

Georgie - the shy and gentle little ghost whose adventures began in the eponymous Georgie, and continued in twelve other picture-books, published from 1944-1983 - heads west in this seventh installment of the series, accompanying his human "family," the Whittakers, on vacation. Intimidated, at first, by the sheer size of everything out west, Georgie soon finds himself caught up in a mystery involving some stolen Indian ponies. Needless to say, he solves the case in his own inimitable show more style...

I have to confess that, although I have enjoyed the six Georgie books I have read thus far (there are thirteen altogether), I strongly suspected, going in, that I wouldn't care for Georgie Goes West. I was right. Not only does it have some of those stereotypical "Indian" images in it, the kind that scholar Debbie Reese rightly deconstructs, on her excellent blog, American Indians in Children's Literature, as examples of tribal confusion and homogenization - Kio, the little Indian boy whose horse has been stolen, looks to be living in a Pueblo-style village, but gives Georgie a full Plains-style war-bonnet - it also contains this gem: "Kio thought so and wanted to cry. But Indians aren't supposed to cry."

All Indian nations seen as interchangeable? Check! Indians portrayed as mythical uber-stoics who don't do all the normal human things? Check! Indians being helped along by benevolent whites? Check! Yes, you read that last one right. In 1973, the very same year that American Indian Movement activists were facing off against the FBI, at the Siege of Wounded Knee, this cheerful little picture-book was published, showing all the cowboys and sheriff's men racing off, in order to restore some stolen Indian property. Haha! The irony really is priceless! All of which is to say: this is decidedly not recommended: do yourself a favor, and skip this particular Georgie book! show less

When Georgie, Herman the cat, and Miss Oliver the owl go on vacation with their human couple, Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker, they finds themselves staying in a seaside cottage that is haunted by a very noisy and disruptive ghost named Captain Hooper. A local mouse explains that the good captain isn't bad, only distraught that he never had a chance to be a hero. And so he howls... every night! Georgie and his friends try their best to protect the Whittakers from Captain Hooper's noise, but there is show more little they can do. And then one night, the Whittakers fall asleep in their rowboat, and begin to drift out to sea...

The fifth Georgie book I have read, Georgie and the Noisy Ghost continues to cement my belief that this is a series I would have greatly enjoyed as a young girl! In fact, the story and illustrations - just as charming, in their old-fashioned way, as ever! - felt quite familiar in this one, making me wonder whether I had indeed encountered this gentle little ghost before, but forgotten it, somehow. In any case, this was another delightful tale, complete with happy ending, of the sweet New England spook and his friends! show less

Georgie the friendly little ghost -- who is not to be confused with Casper the Friendly Ghost -- helps a Scrooge-type character find his Christmas spirit.

It took me a little while to figure out nobody except animals can see Georgie, but just when I got used to that, a person in the story could see Georgie. Now I'm just going to throw my hands up in the air in frustration.

Apparently Georgie has a complex mythology and jumping into the middle of the series with this eighth book might have been show more a mistake. show less

In a quiet New England village, in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker, a friendly little ghost named Georgie knew exactly what to do and when to do it. Every night, at the exact same time, he creaked the loose step on the staircase, and squeaked the parlor door, alerting the Whittakers to the fact that it was time to go to bed, Herman the cat that it was time to start his evening prowl, and Miss Oliver the owl that it was time to wake up. But when Mr. Whittaker nails down the loose step, and show more oils the hinges on the parlor door, Georgie's nightly duties become impossible, and he soon finds himself seeking a new home. Will he ever be able to return...?

Originally published in 1944, this delightful little book is the first of thirteen titles featuring Georgie, the friendly little ghost, and would make a perfect selection for young children who like less frightening ghost-stories. The black and white illustrations have an old-fashioned charm that is difficult to resist, and the story itself has a satisfactorily happy ending. I did wonder, as I was reading this, whether Casper the Friendly Ghost - a cartoon character first created in the 1930s - were an influence, but there's room for more than one cozy spook in the world (says I)! I think I may revisit this character and his adventures this coming fall - after all, Georgie's Halloween is still to be read! show less