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The Witch Mobile
Four little witches spend their days riding a toy shop mobile but at night all except the youngest practice witchcraft.
- GenresHalloween
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 5, 2021
Four witches - Hecate with her narrow face and stone-cold eyes, Murka with her long nose, Ulga with her jutting chin, and round-faced Nannette - all rode together as part of a witch mobile, hanging in a toy shop. Each witch longed for the mobile to be purchased by a particular kind of customer - Hecate wished for a sailor, Murka for a wealthy lady, Ulga for an airplane pilot, and Nannette for someone she couldn't quite define - and each watched as the seeming perfect person entered the shop. Each time however, something went wrong, and although the other witches blamed Nannette, when Halloween night came, they exacted their revenge on the evasive, would-be buyers. All except Nannette, who used her magic to visit the poor little girl who couldn't quite afford to buy the mobile. Informed that she had done it wrong, Nannette cast a spell meant to punish the shopkeeper, but the result of her enchantment was most unexpected...
Published in 1969, The Witch Mobile is quite text-heavy for a picture-book, and features quirky artwork that alternates between black and white ink drawings and full-color panels. It is the first title I have read from author Miriam Young, who appears to have written more than forty children's books, but the fourth from illustrator Victoria Chess, whose work I have encountered before in some of Verna Aardema's folkloric retellings ( This for That: A Togo Tale and Princess Gorilla and a New Kind of Water: A Mpongwe Tale ), as well as in W.K. Jasner's early reader, Which Is the Witch? I didn't really enjoy the artwork in the Jasner, but here I found the visuals rather interesting, and I appreciated some of the creepier elements - the toothy grins on some of the customers! - which went well with the witchy theme. The conclusion of the story was not unexpected, but I liked the way that Young got us there, and think that young readers who enjoy witchy tales will find this one very satisfying. Because of the length, I would recommend this one to older picture-book audiences, and to more advanced beginning readers as well.
Published in 1969, The Witch Mobile is quite text-heavy for a picture-book, and features quirky artwork that alternates between black and white ink drawings and full-color panels. It is the first title I have read from author Miriam Young, who appears to have written more than forty children's books, but the fourth from illustrator Victoria Chess, whose work I have encountered before in some of Verna Aardema's folkloric retellings ( This for That: A Togo Tale and Princess Gorilla and a New Kind of Water: A Mpongwe Tale ), as well as in W.K. Jasner's early reader, Which Is the Witch? I didn't really enjoy the artwork in the Jasner, but here I found the visuals rather interesting, and I appreciated some of the creepier elements - the toothy grins on some of the customers! - which went well with the witchy theme. The conclusion of the story was not unexpected, but I liked the way that Young got us there, and think that young readers who enjoy witchy tales will find this one very satisfying. Because of the length, I would recommend this one to older picture-book audiences, and to more advanced beginning readers as well.
June 20, 2022
4 stars -- This is a good story of four witches who just want to be purchased from the toy shop and go home with someone. Each witch wants to go home with a different "kind" of person according to their personality. Nanette, though, is not like her older three sisters. She is not mean, she does not know as many spells, and she wants someone to care for her. As customers come in, each sister puts a curse on one that chooses not to buy their mobile. All of the curses come to fruition on Halloween with hilarious results. All, except Nanette's. Hers gives extra money to the poor girl who couldn't afford to buy their mobile and also damages the toy shop because the shopkeeper made fun of the girl for having no money. The witches are damaged and thus cut apart, and Nanette is bought by the girl.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2014
Bewitching!
Long a fan of the children's books of Miriam Young, I was pleased to find a copy of this charming little book. Meet Hecate, Murka, Ulga, and Nanette, four witches practicing their craft - their witchcraft - in the window of a toy store in Paris. Problem is that they are all on a mobile, and Nanette is having a hard time keeping up with the tricks and games of her sisters. Poor Nanette - she simply did not know how to have mischief. Hecate, Murka, and Ulga longed for adventure in the hope that a sailor or airplane pilot would buy them. Nanette, on the other hand, simply wanted to be in the home of a child, where she would be loved and be able to be herself.
One day, a little boy with a scowl entered the toy shop. He thought the witches on the mobile would be handy as pirates, until he saw Nanette who, having lost her hat yet again, looked more like a little doll. Nanette's sisters were furious when their chance for an adventure at see suddenly disappeared. "Halloween is coming; just you wait," said Hecate. A few days later, a rich lady walked in. However, when she saw that Nanette was upside-down, she misread the price tag, which read 9 instead of 6 - to expensive for the old lady. Again, Nanette's sisters were angry, having been denied the adventure of working for a rich lady. "Halloween is coming; just you wait," said Murka. Another time, a girl with a propeller beanie entered. Nanette fell backward, sending a bird mobile flying. The girl decided that the bird mobile would be more fun than the witch mobile; hoping that a pilot would purchase them, Nanette's sisters were, once again, furious. "Halloween is coming; just you wait," said Ulga. Then came Halloween, and a little girl with a kindly face entered the store, wanting to buy the witch mobile. This time, Nanette thought she could do something to help the little girl. "Halloween is coming; just you wait," she said. That night, the four witches engaged their magic. However, it was Nanette's magic spell that was the most astonishing of all, and for her there is a happy ending.
Miriam Young's story has a magical feel to it, enhanced by the beautiful illustrations by Victoria Chess. The story also reads like poetry, offering children an enchanting tale to read or have read to them.
Long a fan of the children's books of Miriam Young, I was pleased to find a copy of this charming little book. Meet Hecate, Murka, Ulga, and Nanette, four witches practicing their craft - their witchcraft - in the window of a toy store in Paris. Problem is that they are all on a mobile, and Nanette is having a hard time keeping up with the tricks and games of her sisters. Poor Nanette - she simply did not know how to have mischief. Hecate, Murka, and Ulga longed for adventure in the hope that a sailor or airplane pilot would buy them. Nanette, on the other hand, simply wanted to be in the home of a child, where she would be loved and be able to be herself.
One day, a little boy with a scowl entered the toy shop. He thought the witches on the mobile would be handy as pirates, until he saw Nanette who, having lost her hat yet again, looked more like a little doll. Nanette's sisters were furious when their chance for an adventure at see suddenly disappeared. "Halloween is coming; just you wait," said Hecate. A few days later, a rich lady walked in. However, when she saw that Nanette was upside-down, she misread the price tag, which read 9 instead of 6 - to expensive for the old lady. Again, Nanette's sisters were angry, having been denied the adventure of working for a rich lady. "Halloween is coming; just you wait," said Murka. Another time, a girl with a propeller beanie entered. Nanette fell backward, sending a bird mobile flying. The girl decided that the bird mobile would be more fun than the witch mobile; hoping that a pilot would purchase them, Nanette's sisters were, once again, furious. "Halloween is coming; just you wait," said Ulga. Then came Halloween, and a little girl with a kindly face entered the store, wanting to buy the witch mobile. This time, Nanette thought she could do something to help the little girl. "Halloween is coming; just you wait," she said. That night, the four witches engaged their magic. However, it was Nanette's magic spell that was the most astonishing of all, and for her there is a happy ending.
Miriam Young's story has a magical feel to it, enhanced by the beautiful illustrations by Victoria Chess. The story also reads like poetry, offering children an enchanting tale to read or have read to them.
December 24, 2016
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Four witch sisters hang together on a mobile in a toy shop. Three of the sisters have witchy personalities and appearances to match, but the fourth sister, Nanette, looks more like a doll and can't quite bring herself to be cruel or scary. As children examine them in the shop and ultimately select other toys, each of the three witchy sisters vows to exact revenge on Halloween night. For Nanette, though, it is a struggle to truly harm anyone. Instead, her kindness and restraint lead to an unlikely, but welcome, happy ending for herself and a little girl who admires her.
This is not quite a chapter book in the sense that is it not divided into chapters and is illustrated more like a picture book. Still, the length of the book makes it a bit much to read in one sitting, and it is probably at an appropriate reading level for second or third graders at the youngest. The story has much in common with The Story of Holly and Ivy. The three witchy sisters are much like Abracadabra the owl, while Nanette and the doll, Holly, share a very similar worldview as well. Both stories also end with neatly packaged conclusions, but neither feels inauthentic or cheesy.
The Witch Mobile is a great title to read aloud to elementary school students in celebration of Halloween. In addition to being slightly spooky, it also raises questions about being oneself and doing the right thing in the face of peer pressure that are so relatable for that age group.
Four witch sisters hang together on a mobile in a toy shop. Three of the sisters have witchy personalities and appearances to match, but the fourth sister, Nanette, looks more like a doll and can't quite bring herself to be cruel or scary. As children examine them in the shop and ultimately select other toys, each of the three witchy sisters vows to exact revenge on Halloween night. For Nanette, though, it is a struggle to truly harm anyone. Instead, her kindness and restraint lead to an unlikely, but welcome, happy ending for herself and a little girl who admires her.
This is not quite a chapter book in the sense that is it not divided into chapters and is illustrated more like a picture book. Still, the length of the book makes it a bit much to read in one sitting, and it is probably at an appropriate reading level for second or third graders at the youngest. The story has much in common with The Story of Holly and Ivy. The three witchy sisters are much like Abracadabra the owl, while Nanette and the doll, Holly, share a very similar worldview as well. Both stories also end with neatly packaged conclusions, but neither feels inauthentic or cheesy.
The Witch Mobile is a great title to read aloud to elementary school students in celebration of Halloween. In addition to being slightly spooky, it also raises questions about being oneself and doing the right thing in the face of peer pressure that are so relatable for that age group.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews