Only a Witch Can Fly

by Alison McGhee, Taeeun Yoo (Illustrator)

Only a witch can fly.

But one little girl wants to fly―more than anything. So on a special night, with the moon shining bright and her cat by her side, she gathers herself up, she grips her broom tight, and she tries. And she fails. And she's brave. And she tries again. Until . . .

Utterly enchanting, New York Times– bestselling author Alison McGhee's lyrical language and Taeeun Yoo's transcendent linoleum block prints create a bewitching tale about finding one's own path that will send your heart soaring.

Only a Witch Can Fly is a 2010 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Childrens, Witches, Poetry, Fiction, Holiday

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2009

About the author

Alison McGhee writes novels, picture books, poems, and essays for all ages, including the just-published THE OPPOSITE OF FATE, a novel, and the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestseller SOMEDAY, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Her work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She lives in Minneapolis and California.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this appears to be set at Halloween (there are jack o lanterns, costumes, baskets for treat collecting) the holiday is not overtly mentioned. Instead the focus is on a young witch and her frustration over not yet being able to fly. Details aside, this book should be sympathetic to kids who struggle to master various skills as they grow. It was nice that her brother is encouraging rather than teasing.

The illustrations are lovely.


The text is in the form of a sestina, so if you plan to read aloud you may want to practice first!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are wonderful and the best part of the book! They are cozy but "dark" (in color) and perfectly Halloweeny and marvelous and fun and determined.

The story itself is cute enough, about a little girl wanting to fly--but then, only witches can fly, so... is she a witch? McGhee notes in a brief introduction that she has written the story using a "sestina" rhyme scheme made famous by the French troubadours in the 12th Century. Cool! But, um... I did not feel it made for the best children's story. It just felt a bit choppy when sectioned out into the 32-page picture book format, and some of the rhymes, which could probably be wonderfully appreciated by adults seeing the thing as a complete poem on the page, just felt a bit awkward and as if the author had to try too hard to fit them into the story format. Too, these aren't the typical rhymes that kids are used to (and, thus, tend to love)--which is, of course, no reason to deny them. Heck, expose your four year old to a sestina--awesome, why not?! And some people will probably love it. I just felt it was a bit too forced.

Still, all in all this is a pleasant story for Halloween. For those seeking more adventurous and determined young witches learning to fly, might I suggest the marvelous animated film "Kiki's Delivery Service" directed by Miyazaki.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

With breathtakingly beautiful linoleum block print illustrations from Taeeun Yoo - whose debut picture-book, The Little Red Fish , has won many accolades - and an engaging story-idea about a young girl who longs to fly, this is the sort of picture-book I ought (and want) to love. Unfortunately, Alison McGhee's decision to use the sestina to tell her tale, results in a narrative that I believe will prove troublesome for many young readers.

I certainly wish that this were not so, as Only A Witch Can Fly is simply a gorgeous book, with a style and story perfectly suited to the Halloween season. It may be that I am falling into the same sort of error against which I habitually rail - namely, of underestimating the abilities and interests of young readers - in which case, I apologize. But I suspect that the artwork on this one will be the main draw for most children.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Title: Only A Witch Can Fly By Alison McGhee Illustrated By Taeeun Yoo
Rating: No
Summary: A witch takes her first moonlit flight.
Age: 4-6
Pros:
The illustrations are lovely, evocative. A limited color palate is used: black, green, brown, cream; this illustrates the lure of the moon for the witch in the story.

Cons:
The premise of the story is clear because of the illustrations but the text doesn’t work as well. The rhyming text is lyrical and poetic but it’s rough and confusing also, with a rhyming scheme that is often off. The text reads as if it belongs in a book for older children, rather than a picture book. This is a classic example of text and illustrations not coinciding well together.

[Neva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me feel like I really wanted to fly!

[Lisa]

I liked the illustrations and not, particularly, the story.

[Becky Steinhauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork in this book is so cute!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and I love the text.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a crisp autumnal evening, a young witch yearns to take to the sky . . . a feat she's never tried before. With enchanting artwork by Taeeun Yoo.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Call it lyrical, call it rhythmic – few things can split a picture book crowd like poetic text.

Where do you stand?

Some see it as a perfect way to expose young readers to the beauty and flexibility of language, while others see it as (in some cases) ignoring children’s sensibilities in an attempt to appeal to critics and parents (who, after all, are the ones purchasing the book). While I tend to side with the former, I have to admit that occasionally, poetic text can be a barrier to entry for beginning readers. That may be the case with Only a Witch Can Fly, and it’s too bad – the artwork is fantastic. A simple story with just enough of a poetic complexity to keep the debate going.

In this Halloween-themed story, the action begins after the trick-or-treating is over. After changing out of her witch costume and heading to bed, a dark haired girl is struck by an urge – to see if she can fly as real witches do. Grabbing her broomstick and heading outside with little brother and black cat following, the girl tries her luck. After a stumble, and some encouragement from her brother, the witch-in-training gets it right, flying into the night sky and leaving her father gaping at the window.

McGhee utilizes a 12th century French poetic form known as sestina to tell the story. The results may be too abstract for some youngsters to tackle by themselves. While repetition is present (a good thing for kids), there are elegant flourishes that may be lost on some.

Taeeun Yoo’s beautiful linoleum block print illustrations make the story accessible. I challenge you to find these images as anything less than amazing. In a way, block print is the opposite of drawing. Where artists usually draw lines first and fill them in, block prints color things in and leave the lines invisible. Yoo works with green, orange, brown, and black, to create spread after spread of memorable images.

While Only a Witch Can Fly has a poetic essence that may split audiences, the story still comes through thanks to beautiful artwork.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't know what to think about this one. The illustrations seem to suggest that the little girl is a member of a family of witches. But then they could also be interpreted as depicting a family with a highly imaginative daughter who wishes she could fly. I like the nighttime illustrations, but suspect that they may not be correctly interpreting the author's intent in the text. An odd book.

[Erin Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm split as to what I think about this book. On one hand, I like that it is written in sestina form, which is pretty cool. I don't think, unfortunately, that kids well even recognize that it's something special, or that it's written that way "on purpose," instead of a weird sentence structure that feels odd to them. I also enjoyed the block prints. Not a bad little book.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Utterly charming illustrations! Not to mention the fun revisitation of the childhood fantasy of flying.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pictures allude to Halloween, but it's not actually mentioned or referenced, so the book works for other times of year, too.

[Billy B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perfect art, awful text. This book feels like a bad translation from another language.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations.

[♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Halloween-y feelingish type book. A nice one time, story time read.

[Ellie Curtsinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only a Witch Can Fly won the Ezra Jack Keats award for illustration in 2010. I’m unsure of the medium used for the illustrations, but it looks like it was done digitally. I was immediately drawn in by the cover: solid black with a huge white moon and the silhouette of a witch and her cat flying on a broom, with just a hint of green in the title text. The copyright page has a pleasant illustration of the family returning home from trick-or-treating. I like that it sticks to a color scheme of brown, black, sage green, burnt orange, white. The book features some double page spreads, while some pages have just one illustration on a white background, usually in an invisible round border. The illustrations are very cartoon-like, which seems fitting for a story about a little girl who is a witch. This book has an interesting change in perspective: as the young witch finally begins to fly, the perspective changes and she’s looking down at her family, who are now just tiny black silhouettes. I also the like size change of the moon in the images toward the beginning and end of the book. At first, the moon is tiny and far away, as the young witch looks wistfully out her window. Later, when she finally flies, it is huge, because she finally got to get closer to it. I think this book would be suitable for almost any age group and would be a good tool to teach children to never give up.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book tells the story of a little girl who wants to fly, and the magic of determination. With the encouragement and company of her black cat, she tries and tires again.

Taeeun Yoo's illustrations magnificently tell the story from start to finish, with endearing warmth and wonderful detail (like the brother supporting his sister rather than teasing her). The illustrations deserve 5 stars.

McGhee took a risk, choosing to write the text in a 12th century sestina verse, which is, unfortunately, less successful in the format of a children's picture book; as broken up, the text is stilted and complex for a young reader, whereas the book description on the back cover tells the story more powerfully and with succinct clarity: Only a witch can fly. But one little girl wants to fly - more than anything. So, on a special night, with the moon shining bright and her cat by her side, she gathers herself up, She grips her broom tight, and she tires. And she fails. And she's brave. And she tries again. Until..." The last line, too, seems to undercut the message of the story -- since "only a witch can fly."

Still, the illustrations make this a wonderful book to inspire children to reach for the stars and keep trying to achieve their highest ambitions and to follow their hearts and be the unique person they are meant to be.

[Kate Hern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only a Witch Can Fly is about a little witch. At the beginning of the story, the little witch couldn’t fly on her broom, which made her sad. Her dream was to fly high in the sky, but she could not, no matter how hard she and the black cat practiced to get high in the sky. One of the nights, as she was attempting to fly, she counted 1..2..3..4, and up she went high into the sky. After she was up, she was filled with joy and saw things she had never seen before high up in the sky. I love the artwork throughout the book and believe the medium used was colored pencils and or pastels similar to her other books.
I chose this book from McGhee’s work because this particular book was written in poetry about a little witch who longed to fly on her broom. I also chose it because it reminded me of Halloween, even though nowhere in the book did it say it was. This book had a deeper meaning beyond the words. It gives a sense of fighting for our dreams and working for them every day until we achieve our biggest dreams. With hard work and determination, you can do anything. I believe that that is an important concept to go over with students after reading this book.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little witch dreams of flying, but she isn't quite sure how. But the wind and the moon call her, so she must go.

I've come to the conclusion that a picture book is not the right setting for a sestina. I love sestinas: this unique poetic form is complex and twisted, making it a delightful challenge to read and write. But most of the fun of a sestina is going back and forth from each stanza to see how the lines have repeated: what has changed and what has stayed the same. In this book, it's impossible to see where the stanzas begin and end because the page breaks are not consistently on the stanza breaks, and flipping through the book to find the pattern is tedious. It's still a fun read, and I enjoyed the powerful emotions and cozy illustrations. But I would prefer to read this sestina on all one page.

[Alexandria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so taken with the artistic style in this book that I really, really wanted to like it. Alas, that was not the case. The rhyming scheme grated on me and I felt like it was a book for grownups masquerading as a child's book. Not in terms of content; the content was perfectly suited for a child's book. The writing was just at a very strange level. The words themselves we kept simplistic but the cadence of the rhyming pattern was not easy to follow and the balance of words on each page was too heavy for readers as young as the small words would appeal too, but too small for older readers.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challenge: Boo-to-you Disney/Haunted Mansion - Wizards and witches wherever you dwell. Using the sestina verse, the author gives an old-world feel to the wishes of a little girl to fly. Still in her witch costume after trick or treating, her cat and the moon call to her to fly like a witch. A lesson in believing in oneself, to try again when you fail, and to soar with your dreams. Full-page illustrations using only black and white with muted shades of green and brown, Taeeun Yoo succeeds in providing the ambience of this special night, both at home and aloft. A 21st century classic as most of us have wished at some time or other that we could fly.

[H Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for bedtime reading, for Halloween, for winter and for classroom teaching rhythm to kids. The beauty of this book was in the wonderful illustrations created by Yoon. Her art work, simple block print with a limited number of colors, are amazing. They are naive, well-balanced in terms of composition, and fun.

The texts of this book are is a poem, with rhythm. The night time exploration of a little "witch". Sure little readers will find this book fun.

[Katrina Tangen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting relationship between the text and the illustrations. The text is a poem (a sestina) and is lyrical and cozy and fairly abstract. The illustrations tell their own story about a girl coming home from trick or treating (dressed as a witch) and trying to fly. So each part could stand on its own, but they also interact to form something new. (Which, of course, is what all picture books do to some extent, but they are usually more integrated/dependent on the other part.)

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a lyrical and hopeful narrative, McGhee's story and Yoo's illustrations come together to create an imaginative tale about a young girl who wants to fly more than anything.  And with a little encouragement, she's up in the air and ready to rumble!  Inside, there's sibling support and Halloween joy, making it a perfect October read as you're gearing up for the 31st.  Great for grades 1-3.

Review cross-listed here!

[Cassie Veselovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful phrases and endearing block prints tell the tale of a little girl who wants to fly... on her broom. The poetry tripped me up a bit and didn't seem to flow all the way through the book, yet I am unfamiliar with the poetry type, so may not have had the right rhythm! Still I think picture books should be able to be picked up and read by anyone - those ignorant to poetry styles and those not!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book written as a sestina poem (a complicated type of poetry explained in the front). I think it grows on you and you should practice it if you plan to do a read-aloud. Love the illustrations and the subtle undertones of greater themes. I'll try it on some third-graders and see what they think. I'll try to update this after.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young witch sneaks out to learn to fly. Told in a sestina (which is six lines followed by three lines, all ending in the same set of words) but the lines are divided at a different tempo between pages, like four lines on one page and two on the next, so it just feels like an oddly paced poem which doesn't rhyme.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl yearns to fly...something only witches can do. But on Halloween night, the little girl takes her broom out under the moon and attempts it; and manages to fly!
A cute story with nice illustrations...however it's easy to fumble the rhythm (take your time if using for storytime).

Storytime:
Halloween