Doc McStuffins Little Golden Book Library (Disney Junior: Doc McStuffins)

The improbable life story of Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) included a peculiarly gothic childhood in Ireland during which he was successively abandoned by his mother, his father and his guardian; two decades in the United States, where he worked as a journalist and was sacked for marrying a former slave; and a long period in Japan, where he married a Japanese woman and wrote about Japanese society and aesthetics for a Western readership. His ghost stories, which were drawn from Japanese folklore and influenced by Buddhist beliefs, appeared in collections throughout the 1890s and 1900s. He is a much celebrated figure in Japan. View titles by Various

Apple Jordan is the author of several books for children, including the Barbie Step 1 Books School Days and On Your Toes. She lives in Buffalo, New York. View titles by RH Disney