Gustavo, the Shy Ghost (The World of Gustavo)

Product Information

I know that this is not how the story ends – at some point I even considered that Gustavo could be a real boy disguised as a ghost – but as the plot evolved the sheet joke became irrelevant as Gustavo was already showing his true self. Your selection was perfect for our children and what really made the difference was your ability to engage with each child, discuss their interests and help them to choose a suitable book based on your extensive knowledge of the books you were selling.

When I started making the book, I didn’t notice how much I had in common with Gustavo, but the more I got to understand him, I realised that telling this story was important for me because I wanted to show that being shy doesn’t mean that you don’t enjoy the company of people – or in this case, monsters! My first idea was to have Gustavo’s face on the cover –as if he had shape-shifted into the book– but my publishers felt that even if it was a fun idea, the cover wouldn’t reflect the detailed world inside the book, so we explored different options and arrangements. This experience has been fantastic primarily for the children, the school and also for me (professionally). It's a cute story about a ghost who is too shy to speak to anyone but by being himself makes friends anyway.

Mat: I loved how you tapped into that sense of shyness and reluctance to approach others that can affect children (and adults). Day of the Dead was a completely different feeling because I guess that there is something comforting about the thought of being remembered after you died by your loved ones. So, plucking up all his courage, he sends a very special letter: “Dear Monsters, I would like to invite you to my violin concert at the Day of the Dead party…”With exquisite detail and humour, Flavia Z. Very nice story and illustrations, keeps my little one engaged and creates opportunity for further discussions while looking at the illustrations.

You guys are such a force for good and I am a passionate supporter of Indie booksellers, so I'm so happy this worked out well (I'd love to know how many books were sold if you have it to hand - it felt like quite a lot!

You can also watch this YouTube video where I share the process behind the scenes, and my inspiration for the artwork.

Mat: With this in mind, another thing that I adored about the book was the celebration of the Day of the Dead. My son is a generally outgoing toddler with adults and with peers at school, but with older kids or children he doesn’t know, he gets verrrry shy. As a fun fact, in the graveyard scenes, you can find the names of my late grandparents engraved in the tombstones – Chuta, Lupe, Rolando and Tuto.

Can you share with us a little about them, from their initial concepts to their completed design and, perhaps, a little of their origins? I haven't charted out my visits for the summer term, but I'm sure there are several in the south) and thanks so much for being so fantastic! She has an MA in Children's Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art and was shortlisted for the Sebastian Walker Award.