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Anna Witch
A little witch girl makes a discovery about life without mother after a loss of temper clashes with a loss of patience.
- GenresFantasy
88 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1982
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 13, 2023
Little Anna Witch has trouble mastering magic in this utterly charming chapter-book fantasy, always more interested in what is going on in the woods outside her house than in the lessons her mother, Ada Witch, attempts to impart to her. When her lack of knowledge is exposed at the nightly mountaintop meeting of all the Witchmothers and Witchdaughters, she promises the Old One—the oldest and wisest of the witches—that she will work harder. But when she and her mother quarrel during their next magic lesson, instead of applying herself to her lesson she turns her mother into a frog! Deciding at first that this is a good thing, to live without supervision, Anna soon discovers that, like all young people, a Witchdaughter needs her mother...
From beginning to end, I found Anna Witch a positive delight, and no sooner had I finished reading it online, than I immediately went looking for a copy of my own. It was so lovely, in both storytelling and illustration, that I felt I needed to own a copy of my own, and am now adding it to my personal library. So many of the little details here, from the physical characteristics of witches in author Madeleine Edmondson's world—their hair grows upward (thus explaining their need for the traditional tall witch's hat) and their feet are chicken feet (like the feet on the house of Baba Yaga!)—to the fact that they always use names that are palindromes (i.e., spelled the same forward and backward), added to my reading enjoyment. The story itself was also engaging, addressing a number of themes—young people learning at their own pace, children both needing their parents and needing distance from them—in a magical way. The conclusion is, of course, heartwarming, and very satisfying. This is the second witchy tale I have read from Edmondson, following upon her picture-book, The Witch's Egg , and while I enjoyed that earlier title, on the whole I think this is the superior story.
As charming as the story here is, the artwork from William Pène du Bois—winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal for The Twenty-One Balloons , and two-time Caldecott honoree for Bear Party and Lion —is every bit as appealing. Done in black and white, the illustrations are simply beautiful, and capture both the magical charm of the story and characters, and the emotional pitch of each scene. In sum: this was just a witchy delight, and if I had first encountered it as a girl, might be a personal favorite! Highly recommended to beginning chapter-book readers who enjoy witchy fare.
From beginning to end, I found Anna Witch a positive delight, and no sooner had I finished reading it online, than I immediately went looking for a copy of my own. It was so lovely, in both storytelling and illustration, that I felt I needed to own a copy of my own, and am now adding it to my personal library. So many of the little details here, from the physical characteristics of witches in author Madeleine Edmondson's world—their hair grows upward (thus explaining their need for the traditional tall witch's hat) and their feet are chicken feet (like the feet on the house of Baba Yaga!)—to the fact that they always use names that are palindromes (i.e., spelled the same forward and backward), added to my reading enjoyment. The story itself was also engaging, addressing a number of themes—young people learning at their own pace, children both needing their parents and needing distance from them—in a magical way. The conclusion is, of course, heartwarming, and very satisfying. This is the second witchy tale I have read from Edmondson, following upon her picture-book, The Witch's Egg , and while I enjoyed that earlier title, on the whole I think this is the superior story.
As charming as the story here is, the artwork from William Pène du Bois—winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal for The Twenty-One Balloons , and two-time Caldecott honoree for Bear Party and Lion —is every bit as appealing. Done in black and white, the illustrations are simply beautiful, and capture both the magical charm of the story and characters, and the emotional pitch of each scene. In sum: this was just a witchy delight, and if I had first encountered it as a girl, might be a personal favorite! Highly recommended to beginning chapter-book readers who enjoy witchy fare.
June 14, 2007
childhood favorite. i still read it from time to time. my favorite part of the book-- witches are people with palladrome names.
December 2, 2023
El retrobament amb la infantesa.
February 13, 2021
Lovely little flash back to my child hood, first ever book i can remember reading the whole way through when i was little.
August 14, 2023
A young witch accidentally makes her mother disappear but finds a way to bring her back. A fun story with beautiful illustrations by William Pene du Bois.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews