Casper The Friendly Ghost 60th Anniversary Special
Everything old seems to be new again, as evidenced by the recent and superlative Toon Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics (2009) and Dark Horse’s systematic reprinting of several Harvey Comics properties (Richie Rich, Harvey Girls), which now includes this dandy collection of two new Casper titles from 1949 and 1952. The number two is misleading, though, as this 80-page collection includes multiple Casper comics, as well as text stories and back-up features with such never-heard-from-again characters as Monty the Mountain Sheep and Paddy the Leprechaun. With his constant yearning for camaraderie, his tendency to inadvertently louse up the plans of ne’er-do-wells, and his penchant for befriending the innocent and kindhearted, Casper will have huge appeal to the young crowds that enjoy the Toon books line; and the fact that the high-quality paper is saturated with the yellow of the original book’s age makes the collection feel like something ancient and magical. With its minimal dialogue and standard grid composition, it also proves that elusive comic that will make a great one-on-one read-aloud. Grades K-2. --Jesse Karp