''Ol' Clip-Clop: A Ghost Story'' is a 2013 children's picture book written by

Patricia McKissack Patricia C. McKissack (''née'' Carwell; August 9, 1944 – April 7, 2017) was a prolific African-American children's writer. She was the author of more than 100 books, including Dear America books '' A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a ...

and illustrated by

Eric Velásquez Eric A. Velásquez is an American author and illustrator of over 30 children's books. Among other honors, he has won a John Steptoe New Talent Award (2001), Pura Belpré Award (2011), and NAACP Image Award (2021). Biography Velásquez was ...

. It is about John Leep, a stingy

landlord A landlord is the owner of property such as a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate that is rented or leased to an individual or business, known as a tenant (also called a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). The term landlord appli ...

, who cheats a tenant but then gets his come-uppance.

Reception

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'', reviewing ''Ol' Clip-Clop'', wrote "The expert pacing, attention-grabbing sound effects make this a winner, not to mention an ending featuring the kind of quick revelation that will have your whole audience of kids screaming and your storyteller laughing. .. The extreme darkness in many of the scenes, though adding to the creepiness, might present some challenges for large groups, so plan your (spooky) lighting accordingly." and the ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

'' recommended it "for storytellers who want to actively engage their audiences." ''

The Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...

'' found "The dark, muted shades of Velasquez’s oil paintings enhance the hair-raising text." ''Ol' Clip-Clop'' has also been reviewed by ''Library Media Connection'', ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'', and ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'',

Awards

*2014 Bank Street CBC Best Children's Book of the Year (Five to Nine) - Outstanding Merit *2014-2015 Georgia Children's Book Award: Picturebook - winner *2015 Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award - winner

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ol' Clip-Clop: A Ghost Story 2013 children's books American picture books Children's books about ghosts Books by Patricia McKissack