- Picture Books
- Ages 3–6
- Comedy
I Want Everything
Big Ghost wants ALL the things, until Little Ghost's brilliantly daft questions (an actual octopus for a hat?) help them realise the best thing of all is a friend. A funny, colourful companion to I Hate Everything.
- Best for3–6
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Silly
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Big Ghost has decided they want EVERYTHING. All of it. The whole lot. But luckily Little Ghost is on hand to ask the very best questions, starting with the important ones: do you want an actual octopus as a hat? What about the hiccups, or a bowl of soggy cereal, or a super scratchy scarf? One gleefully silly item at a time, Little Ghost helps Big Ghost work out that wanting everything might not be quite as brilliant as it sounds, and that the thing they really want is a friend to help them out when they get in a pickle. Told almost entirely in bold speech bubbles and bursting with Sophy Henn's trademark bright, punchy artwork, this warm and very funny picture book is a companion to I Hate Everything and a joy to read aloud. Underneath the giggles sits a genuinely useful little truth: the things in life that matter most aren't actually things at all.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A bright, funny read-aloud for 3-6s, with early independent readers enjoying the simple speech-bubble text around 5-7. There is no scary or upsetting content, so it suits any listener, and the friendship-over-things message makes it a warm, reassuring choice.
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- Best fit · 3–6
- Read aloud · 3–6
- Independent · 5–7
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Funny read aloud
- Toddlers
- Emotional learning
- Speech bubble stories
Avoid if
- Wants quiet narrative
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Big Ghost wanting absolutely everything is very funny, and Little Ghost's questions get sillier and sillier, an actual octopus hat? The bright colours and big speech bubbles make it feel like a comic, and the ending, where a friend turns out to be the best thing, is lovely.
- Unlimited treats
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
Sophy Henn's speech-bubble style makes this a brilliant, easy read-aloud with real comic timing, and the bold colours hold a toddler's attention page after page. The message about friendship over stuff arrives without a lecture, and children happily ask for it again and again.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
About the author & illustrator
Sophy Henn.
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