Alice and Greta: A Tale of Two Witches

by Steven J. Simmons, Cyd Moore (Illustrator)

Overview

A bewitching tale showcasing the timeless lesson that a good deed always triumphs over a bad one, even at Miss Mildred Mildew's School of Magic!    

Whatever you chant,
Whatever you brew,     
Sooner or later     
Comes back to you!

Alice and Greta attended the same school of magic, but they each have their own ideas about how to put their skills to the best use. Alice spends her days waving her wand to cast splendid spells. Greta only uses hers to stir up trouble. When their wands and witching styles clash, it turns out Greta should have paid more attention to those early magic lessons. An enchanting tale of two very different fates.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623541101
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	08/06/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Steven J. Simmons is a former White House staffer and law and government professor who has appeared on the Today Show to discuss his books for children, including Alice and Greta.

Read an Excerpt

Once, a long time ago, two witches lived on top of a mountain. Although they both looked out at the same view, they saw things differently. 

Alice's outlook, like her clothes, was always rose. Greta, on the other hand, was always on the lookout for trouble. She dressed in poison green—a color she liked to think was as putrid as her personality. 

Oh, how different Alice and Greta were!

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 2Alice and Greta are two young witches attending Miss Mildew's School of Magic. Alice uses her magic for positive results, while Greta, in contrast, plays tricks that land her in trouble. That habit causes Greta to miss an important lessonthe "Brewmerang Principle""Whatever you chant,/Whatever you brew,/Sooner or later/Comes back to you!" After graduation, Alice uses her powers to rescue stranded sailboats and find lost puppies, while Greta uses them to spread confusion. Her pice de rsistance involves covering some children with melted marshmallows. At first delighted, the youngsters become scared when they realize they're stuck. Alice's attempt to rescue them lands her in the goo as well. However, she paid attention to the Brewmerang Principle, and is able to reverse the spell, leaving Greta to suffer the results of her misdeeds. As with the melted marshmallows, a little bit of moralism would have gone a long way in this book. Instead readers are nearly suffocated with sweet stuff, which prevents true characterization or plot development. Overly generous use of pink (Alice) and green (Greta) in the illustrations goes hand-in-heavy-hand with the pedantic tone of the text.Tana Elias, Meadowridge Branch Library, Madison, WI

School Library Journal

The effects of artistic license become clear in this picture book from Simmons, who shows what happens to two witches who attend the same school, and are taught the same lessons, but find widely different uses for their craft.

Alice's bucolic perch on a mountain has a sign that says "Welcome!" while Greta's sign warns, "Keep Away!" Butterflies and bluebirds attend one child-witch, buzzards and bats the other. When school's out, the stage is set: Alice conjures a wave for a family whose boat is stranded on a sandbar, while Greta conjures a similar wave to wash away a child's sandcastle. More examples of their opposing worldviews follow, but most readers will get the point, and it may be the simple predictability of the plot they will enjoy most. By the time Greta gets her comeuppance—she was not in school the day the most important of witchy lessons was taught, a take on the old what-goes-around- comes-around chestnut—readers will be anticipating the punishment, but not Alice's reward. As a result of all her good deeds, her view from the hill is getting "better and better," with levitating children bearing thank-you notes, cookies, and flowers. Moore has a style like Lynn Munsinger's, with charmingly detailed watercolors that endlessly tinker with the symmetry of the tale—e.g., the bats have come to Alice's side in the last scene.

Kirkus Reviews