Walter's Magic Wand

by Eric Houghton

Bored with the library, Walter uses his magic wand to conjure up tigers out of a book, but the librarian has a few tricks of her own

Genres: Picture Books, Magic

26 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1989

Reviews

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this while weeding, it was delightful

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walter uses his magic wand to set free the wild things in library books.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book.

[Luella Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the superhero librarian but the illustrations were just ok.

[Jazmin Maldonado · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ploppa Gooksniff," Walter recited as he waved his wand. Suddenly a whole world of excitement was discovered that the library. Walters magic wand by Eric houghton is a precious fine and a message to readers that you make your own magic. It all starts off with a trip to the library he takes with his mother. He then grows curious. Walter recites spells and turns books to life! At first he just can't have enough! Opening and closing the portal to a real life adventure by the wave of his wand. But then it was time to go...Was it real? Was I he only one experiencing magic? Hes confused. On his way out, he discovers someone was with him all along, through the mishaps and adventures, but who could it be?

[Shannon Rizzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

C.S. Lewis said, "If a book is not worth reading at 50, it's not worth reading at 10." This is one of those books. Some children's books are not fun to read aloud to your kids, but this one was enjoyable for me as well as my children. Not many can entertain all four. Walter creates a magic wand out of a stick, and uses it at the library to unleash a few wild creatures. There's a nice twist at the end in that an adult character in the book encourages imaginative play. The book is nicely illustrated and strikes a good balance - not so long that the parent is tired from reading, and long enough to entertain the kids.

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the kids in my class will love this book. It reminded me of the movie the pagemaster. This book is about adventure and magic. Everyone can remember at one point in their lives where they picked up a stick and pretended that it was something else;a wand, a staff, or even a sword. I think that this book will ignite many children's imaginations and get them to read more. I never liked reading when i was younger mainly because i was being forced to read things i wasn't interested in. The main character in the story; Walter is allowed to choose his own books, which them sparks his imagination.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was prepared for this one not have aged well, especially when one of the first things Walter does is mess up the index cards for the catalogs and pile at least a hundred very large dictionaries into a fort. But there's no shushing! Instead, you have a game librarian who takes part in the magic and weathers all the shenanigans that the magic wand brings forth in her library. I would love to see someone update this tale with a modern setting, because it really captures the spirit of children's librarianship.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horn Book Guide starred September, 1990
At the library, Walter has only to tap books with his magic wand and first a jungle, then a band of pirates, and then an ocean appear. The free-spirited drawings add an enormous amount of atmosphere in a joyous display of imagination. Review 3/90.

[J. S. Seebauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful tale sharing how stories do come to life even when you think it really is boring words on a page. This book could be much fun paired with an activity.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both Alissa and I enjoyed this one tremendously. Let's read it again soon.

[Jocelyn Montalvo Cullum]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13808468

[Ruth]

This was so cute! I love stories involving libraries, books, and magic. And the librarian was so clever and resourceful!