Gr 1-5-Washington's retelling of this traditional ghost story may be recognized as "Martin's Coming" or "Pancho Villa." A big, strong, fight-picking man who loves trouble seeks shelter from a thunderstorm in an old spooky house. Inside, he finds that it is lavishly furnished. A table spread with a magnificent meal sits beside a crackling fire. After dinner, relaxing by the fire, he hears the clock strike midnight and the first of three scruffy black cats that chomp on the hot coals in the fireplace appears. Each one asks, "Are you gonna be here when John gets here?" The third, the size of a pony, eats up the other two and by now the big, strong, fighting man is terrified. "He was a BIG man! He was a STRONG man! He was a GONE man!" Here the story ends, leaving readers dangling. Turning the page, the third cat is shown cowering in the fireplace. The mirror above reflects one huge fiery eye and one scruffy ear. There's lots of room for speculation in this spooky tale. Could this mirror image be John or just the next cat? Rogers creates spooky imagery with her use of gray tones and facial expressions. The main character is portrayed as an enormous, burly African American with a jaunty stride. A good read-aloud and discussion book, especially at Halloween.-Karen Land, Greenport Public School, NY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.