Kirkus Reviews QR Code
YUCK! by James Stevenson Kirkus Star

YUCK!

By

Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 1984
Publisher: Greenwillow

How to put witches to shame? Trust Stevenson for an artful, comfy deception. This exuberant new spoof features two of the most rapturously gruesome witches around--""Oh, it's foul, Lavinia!"" ""Stencheroo, Dolores!"" They're also nasty, hateful, mean. They snap at the forest animals, explode in laughter at little witch Emma's timid request to make a potion too. ""All I wanted to do,"" says Emma to the animals, ""was. . . maybe one magic spell."" The animals set to thinking. Emma strides forth with her own pot, spoon, and book of potions. And what do Lavinia and Doris see but a mooing duck, a quacking cow. Birds fly by upside down. (""Hey, what are you doing upside down, Dolores?"") A rabbit passes, with an open umbrella--""Just in case it starts to rain frogs!"" (Instantly.) What's gotten into them? ""We're all under Emma's super spell."" And when Lavinia and Dolores hear what's in Emma's potion, they take off with an enormous ""YUCK"" To the glee of Emma and friends, who go on slurping vegetable soup. Knockabout, tender, and hilarious.