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 even 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:	9780689867316
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date:	08/09/2011
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.10(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.

You might not believe this, but most witches are afraid of humans," a witch girl confides. As her encyclopedic Big Book of Humans indicates, "Humans aren't green like us," and they often dislike flying. Consequently, older witches tremble when she takes a Halloween risk and offers a human girl a broom ride. McGhee and Bliss (previously paired for Countdown to Kindergarten) take a witty, sideways approach to multicultural crossover; the parental demographic might chuckle at headstones labeled Addams and Joey Ramone. Bliss channels Charles M. Schulz in his voice-bubble dialogue and expressive drawings of children with circular heads, simple mouths and dot-eyes with parentheses-shaped eyelids. Like Michael Rex's Brooms Are for Flying! and David Costello's Here They Come!, this tale demystifies the amiable protagonist and her non-green counterpart alike. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 2-A friendly young witch describes what she likes most about Halloween. She explains that although most of her kind "-are afraid of humans," she has done research and concluded that people are not that bad. She plans to visit them this Halloween night as they "trick a tree." After boarding her broom, she zooms in a circle, becomes dizzy, and crashes near some trick-or-treaters. She soon discovers that a brave witch and a brave human girl dressed as a witch are not so very different. As the book ends, the two new friends share a moonlit broomstick ride. The chatty text appears in dialogue balloons. Done in black ink and watercolor, the cartoon artwork captures the holiday's spirit with crisp fall colors and amusing details. Busy witches decorate their creepy-looking mansion by hanging skeletons, un-caging bats, and sprinkling spiders out the windows. In the "Sub-Basement Costume Unit," a seamstress is hard at work sewing a monster paw; costumes line the walls (Frankenstein, a space creature, etc.); and politician masks share space with a jar full of eyeballs. Both children-one green and one not-are appealing, and the witch's orange cat, with its expressive features, adds to the fun. A humorous, not-scary-at-all read-aloud.-Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

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

This read-aloud Halloween picture book offers appealing illustrations by Harry Bliss, fun facts about witches (did you know that most are afraid of humans?), and a fun encounter between a little witch and a little human that tests the courage of both. The youthful Elle Fanning (sister of actress Dakota) does a truly fine job narrating this small story. She doesn't rush, is young enough to sound just right for the part, and has a pleasant voice that's full of quirky expression. Fanning enjoys the story—so listeners will, too. In addition to her contributions, the production's fun sound effects (a spooky-sounding waltz score, the whoosh of a broom in flight) add dimension to the listening experience. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

JUN/JUL 08 - AudioFile