In a follow-up to The Curious Little Witch (2010), Lizzy, the titular Little Witch, continues her adventures with a new young friend, Trixie.
Inspired by a fairy-tale book, Trixie wants Lizzy to make her a Witch Princess and conjure up a flying magic carpet. Lizzy works her magic, and they are off. The softly hued illustrations lend sweet child appeal, but Baetan’s text rambles somewhat. As with the earlier book, partial page turns provide changing views, here of the pair's journey and various fantastical modes of transportation. A touch of hunger leads them to meet the Caravan Witch, whose well-intentioned performance for them goes awry. Off they fly until Trixie “needs to pee,” and they encounter the Boat Witch. She has “an especially pretty potty for a Witch Princess,” but a frog surprises Trixie, and she slips overboard. Once dry, the duo takes to the air again only to realize they may be lost. From up above comes the welcome voice of the Balloon Witch, who is appropriately revealed in a vertical fold-out accommodating the fantastical aerial transport. Balloon Witch is honored to help them get back to their humble home “just in time, right before the sun rose”—which is, of course, “bedtime for little witches.”
Fans of the first book will cheer the return of its winsome protagonist, but they will miss its architectural unity; ultimately, there is little here to make it rise above the witchy multitude. (Picture book. 4-8)
