A Very Brave Witch

August 14, 2006
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.