Fun for witches in training and aspiring pet owners alike.
When a young witch acquires an egg that conceals a “mystery pet,” she impatiently uses her magic to attempt to hatch it.
Light-skinned, green-haired Evelyn Witch is sure that something’s missing in her life. But her potions are “perfectly bubbling,” and her hair is “perfectly messy.” What could it be? On a trip to town, she wanders by the pet store and realizes she needs a companion. The text—previously simple sentences—now adds jaunty rhyme and rhythm to describe creatures ranging from “bats, and rats, and plump pink cats” to “griffins, and spiders, and fish who were biters.” Counting her change, Evelyn has only enough for the cheapest item, the mystery pet: a cardboard box containing a plain white egg. What animal might it conceal? And will it ever emerge? Playful text paired with vignettes of the frustrated Evelyn watching over the egg make the young witch’s displeasure clear: Waiting is hard! Next stop: the library, for a book of creature-hatching magic. Evelyn treks over mountains, sails seas, and explores a cave, casting delightfully rhyming spells—to no avail. But after a heartwarming epiphany—and a lesson in the value of patience—Evelyn and readers alike are rewarded with a perfect result. Comical, scribbly art—a creative mix of panels and full-page spreads—complements the text, whose extensive vocabulary is couched in conversational syntax; Evelyn’s frequent exclamation of “Sniveling snails!” is a particular delight.
Fun for witches in training and aspiring pet owners alike. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 8, 2025
ISBN: 9781250804211
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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