A Very Brave Witch

by Alison McGhee, Harry Bliss (Illustrator)

Overview

On the far side of town, in a big, dark house, lives a brave little witch. She has heard lots and lots about those scary humans and a holiday they call Halloween, but she has never ever seen Halloween for herself. Until one very special Halloween comes along. Perfect for trick-or-treaters of all ages, A Very Brave Witch makes for a playful read-aloud that takes the scariness out of the holiday.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416986706
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date:	08/04/2009
Edition description:	Repackage
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 6.32(h) x 0.37(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Alison McGhee is the New York Times bestselling author of Someday, as well as Dear Sister, What I Leave Behind, Pablo and Birdy, Where We Are, Maybe a Fox with Kathi Appelt, Firefly Hollow, Little Boy, So Many Days, Star Bright, A Very Brave Witch, Dear Brother, and the Bink and Gollie books. Her other children’s books include All Rivers Flow to the Sea, Countdown to Kindergarten, and Snap!. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Laguna Beach, California. You can visit her at AlisonMcGhee.com.

Harry Bliss is an award-winning, nationally syndicated cartoonist and cover artist for the New Yorker. He is the illustrator of the New York Times bestselling books A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech and Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Spider, both written by Doreen Cronin. Mr. Bliss lives with his family in northern Vermont.

Editorial Reviews

On the far side of town, in a very dark house, lives a very brave witch. For years, she has tried to gain some inkling about what humans are, but until today, she had never experienced Halloween. Approaching Halloween from a different angle.

Witches really do exist, and they live in haunted houses. But most witches have a secret: They are afraid of humans, who, shockingly, do not have green skin. This young witch is very brave, however, and she's done her research, so on Halloween night, to the chagrin of her elders, she sets off to meet a real human and find out if all she has read is true. (According to her book, humans do not wear pointy hats, they don't cackle regularly and they are afraid to fly.) A misheard phrase ("Trick a tree?") and a subsequent tumble from her broom produce a chance meeting with a girl dressed up as a witch, and the two share an unforgettable night during which at least one myth about humans is definitively debunked. This gently humorous story is teamed with appealing, warm, yet appropriately spooky watercolors that depict the very brave witch on what is, naturally, her favorite holiday. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews