Leonard Grows a Haunted Garden

By: Mike Ciccotello

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2026-01-13

A cheerful ghost grows a boo-tiful (and totally not haunted) springtime garden in this laugh-out-loud picture book—the perfect gift for Easter, Halloween, or year-round fun.

Leonard the cheerful, can-do ghost is growing his family a garden. The other ghosts want it to be the scariest garden EVER! But the more Leonard sows, the less creepy their new garden seems. He plants flowers that are pretty instead of putrid, and installs bird feeders instead of bat boxes. Has Leonard made a grave mistake? Or will this botanical surprise blossom into a spook-tacular delight?

From Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award winner Mike Ciccotello, spring has sprung in this charming story about family, gardening, and a determined ghost with a green thumb. Leonard Grows a Haunted Garden is perfect for fans of Gustavo the Shy Ghost, The Creepy Carrots, and Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden.

If you loved Leonard Grows a Haunted Garden, then you’ll love Leonard Builds a Haunted House, another high-spirited picture book starring Leonard and his family of ghosts.