Pioneer Bear

Have you ever pondered upon the life and fate of spirits and ghosts? Are animals able to come back as spirits? What happens if you fall in love with a ghost? This book will answer none and all of those questions, it can weave a magic spell that will enchant the child in your family - and if you let it the child within you ... I have read this book many times both to children and for my own enjoyment ... out of the same stable of simple well-crafted European (non-Hollywood/Disney) story telling. Once you have read this book you will never be able to forget it's characters - they are literally hauntingly real.

"The Phantom Cyclist" - Roger and Sam, living in a small, isolated village, spend most of their free time out on their new racing bicycles. When they first meet Per, though, he either knows shortcuts they haven't learned across the marshes, or he's able to cycle even faster than they can (or both, of course)."The Sunday Child" - Helen, who likes playing with her mother's jewelry box on Sunday mornings, likes the tiny turquoise ring passed down in the family, made for a child's hand, but she's only allowed to wear it on Sundays for fear of losing it. And sometimes, while wearing the ring, she finds herself in the playroom of a girl named Charity - someone else who doesn't have anyone to play with."Cherry Ripe" - Giles, sent to stay with his great-aunt in the country to get well after a long illness, is lonely - he's used to having his mother around, and even his two pesky little sisters. Then one day out on the swing in the gardens, he meets Caroline - a girl his own age who's also been ill, who always seems to wear fancy dress (but who's a bit of a tomboy for all that)."The Whistling Boy" - Simon and his family have moved to a town by the seaside, and he's fascinated by the local castle, having spent his life in an apartment building. His new friend Julian and their gang tell him the story of a boy who apparently haunts the place, having died there in captivity, and the gang decides to sneak in late one night and see if the tales are true."The Cat Who Liked Children" - Prue and Adam keep finding evidence of a cat in their new house - warm hollows on pillows where a cat curled up, fine black cat hairs - but they can't seem to lure the cat out of hiding."The Silent Visitor" - David, Judith, and their parents are staying at a hotel for once when visiting the children's grandmother, who's been too ill to have houseguests, although they can see her every day. The parents are soon rather uneasy - every time one of the kids has a bad night (trouble sleeping in a strange bed or upset stomach), a silent woman settles the bedclothes around them and soothes them to sleep. But nobody came past their parents, or admits to doing anything..."Mirror, Mirror on the Wall" - In winter, Jane likes to hide behind the velvet curtain used to block drafts from the front door, and peer out at the reflections from the antique mirror in the hall. But sometimes it clouds over, and lets her see a boy about her own age being bossed around by his nanny. Then after she sees him carried into the house after a riding accident, stranger things start to happen."The White-Haired Children" - The village kids have noticed the strange family of white-haired children, all named for plants and spanning several years in age, who don't seem to have any adult guardians. (The village adults have trouble believing the kids' story, though.) William and Mary in particular make friends with two of the older kids, Cedar and Primrose, since all of them are first-class at sledding. Then one day Pri

The first time I read this book I was in elementary school. I was enthralled by the mysterious qualities of all the stories; more so than I have ever been with a book of ghost stories. This book is not a novel, but a collection of stories of the supernatural. Favorites of mine include "Cherry Ripe" and "The White Haired Children." Any child interested in the supernatural or ghost stories would adore this book. Its best quality is the fact that it does not simply present stories that dabble in supernatural elements, but provides a sense of eerieness in dealing with the issues of death and spitits. I feel no ghost story lover could ever get tired of this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys thinking of things on a supernatural level.