Лейла. Ідеальна відьма

The World of Gustavo #2

by Flavia Z. Drago, Флавія З. Драґо, Ганна Лелів (Translator)

Зустрічайте захопливу книжку-картинку від художниці Флавії З. Драґо про ідеальну відьмочку Лейлу, яка мешкає в пряниковому будиночку разом із сестрами та бабусею. Усі вони походять з давнього роду майстринь Темних мистецтв кондитерської справи.

Рішуча відьмочка Лейла понад усе на світі хоче навчитися випікати тортики, щоб виграти на Відьмацькому торто-герці! Для цього їй доведеться облишити погоні за феями та пошуки грибів, а натомість треба буде вчитися та опановувати нову справу.

Ця історія про наполегливість та власні бажання, здійснення яких інколи може бути нелегким. Але ж поряд завжди є ті, хто порадить або підкаже, як вчинити. А як же файно разом з ними смакувати тортом!

Повноколірні ілюстрації додадуть історії гумору та деталізують героїв, вони доповнять милу та кумедну оповідь про старання, рішучість та наполегливість. Ця книжка точно сподобається малим читачам.

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Childrens, Witches, Fantasy, Family, Fiction

38 pages, Hardcover

First published July 12, 2022

About the author

Flavia Z. Drago was born and raised in Mexico City. As a child, she wanted to be a mermaid. When that didn’t happen, she began her career as a graphic designer and a children’s book illustrator. She loves color, textures, and shapes and enjoys creating them with different materials and a bit of digital sorcery. Her first picture book, Gustavo, the Shy Ghost, has been highly acclaimed. She lives in Mexico.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be generous and give four stars on my rating because I do think this will really delight some readers and it's a cute story and I so appreciate all the details of the illustrations, even though the style is not exactly my cup of tea. (I felt Drago's style "fit" so beautifully with Gustavo the Ghost's story but here it just feels a little too cartoony and chaotic for me.) I love the idea of a baking contest for little witches and monsters (The Magnificent Witchy Cake-Off!? So awesome!) and it's so fun to see their spooky bakes. There's so much to see in each illustrations. A great book for young bakers at Halloween! (If you like this sort of thing, be sure to check out the gorgeous The Wicked Baker: Cakes and Treats to Die for by Helena from the GBBO) The message is good, too, working together, having fun is most important -- being the best you can be, even if you don't always win. I especially like that it shows a family of loving sisters who are also good friends.

[Tia]

Reading this whilst also currently watching the new season of The Great British Bake Off was very fun. Like I said before, the art style is so adorable. I love looking at the art more than the actual story. Leila’s witchy family were iconic, I loved the design of them all!!

[Pastels Passions · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the lesson in this one!

[Vania · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/★★★★★

[Cat Strawberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun story and with a great message too! Leila is a witch and lives with her three sisters and mother in their gingerbread house. Leila is always good at everything she tries doing and has a proud display of awards she’s won for everything from pumpkin carving to conjuring. But there’s one award Leila doesn’t have and that is a trophy for winning the Witchy Cake-Off. Leila knows it’s only a matter of time before she wins it, but when she tries to practice her baking at home, she realises it’s not as easy as it seems. This hardback book is quite big, taller and wider than A4 in size and is filled with thick matt pages of colourful illustrations and text.

I love this story and how fun and different Leila’s family look. Leila wants to win the Witchy Cake-off and tries practicing her baking at home but when she tries to make a particular cake things go wrong and Leila thinks she’ll never win the Cake-Off. I love how this story is so fun and interesting but has a deeper message in it too. Although Leila struggles to bake anything good, her family, her sisters in particular, help her to feel better and she’s encouraged to try again. I love what ends up happening after this and the lesson Leila learns about how good it feels to take part rather than just win.

The illustrations are so interesting and lovely and knowing how much I loved reading ‘Gustavo the Shy Ghost’, I knew I would enjoy this one. The illustrations throughout are so lovely and detailed. There are extra illustrations and fun images to see on the inside of the front and back covers as well as lots of things to spot in each picture in the story itself. I love how Leila and her family look, how different all the sisters are and how fun the whole witchy world looks too. There’s even a fun nod to Gustavo on the last double page which I loved spotting! 😀 The illustrations really make this book so fun to read and look at and it wouldn’t be such a fun story without such great pictures to look at.

Overall this is a great book and one with a brilliant message for children too. I love the funny nod to Bake-Off as well as how fun and silly some of the things happening in the pictures are. Leila’s family and the creations they make are so fun to see and this is definitely a great book to share with children. I still find ‘Gustavo the Shy Ghost’ to be my favourite book by the author, but I love how this one has that Day of the Dead feel too when it comes to the illustration, a more fun and colourful look than what you typically expect when it comes to the way everything looks and the front cover is even embossed in places making this feel like a very special read indeed.
-Thanks to Walker Books for a free copy

[Guiomar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mejor de lo esperado.
Me gusta que las hermanas estén para ayudar y animar y que lo importante no sea ganar.

[Rhiannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

colored pencil illustrations automatically make a children’s book 10/10

[Audrey | WellReadandUndead(ish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leila is cute and I love that her coven is helping her cook for the contest. I also loved that she didn’t actually win in the traditional sense. Great messaging while also being fun and seasonal.

[Katie Brummell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lelia, The Perfect Witch by Flavia Z. Drago
3.5 ⭐️
Children's Picture Book
Format: Hardcover
Book 40 of 2022
📚📚📚📚

Lelia is part of the Gustavo universe. I love Gustavo! Lelia is a perfect witch and is good at everything she does. She is finally old enough to enter the baking contest. It's in her family legacy to be a great baker but she soon discovers that she isn’t the best at baking. This is a cute story about learning its okay not to always be perfect.
📖📖📖📖

In this charming picture book from the author-illustrator of Gustavo, The Shy Ghost, a witch who is spellbindingly good at everything discovers that baking is no piece of cake.

Leila Wayward is a little witch who excels at everything she does. She’s the fastest flier, the most cunning conjuror, and the most superb shape-shifter. She has won trophies for potions, herbology, and alchemy—and now she dreams of winning the Magnificent Witchy Cake-off! As the youngest in a long line of masters of the Dark Arts of Patisserie, Leila wants her entry to be perfect. But even with the most bewitching of recipes, she realizes a terrible truth: she’s a disaster in the kitchen. Luckily, Leila has three magical sisters who are happy to share their culinary secrets with her. What’s more, Leila discovers that baking with them is fun! Win or lose, she has already tasted the sweetest thing of all: acceptance—with a pinch of nightshade and a bit of mandrake. Filled with expressive and fancifully offbeat illustrations, Flavia Z. Drago’s enchanting story of trying your hardest despite your imperfections is sure to delight little witches and novice bakers alike.

#books #Halloweenbooks #childrensbooks #kidsbooks #picturebook #childrensliterature #bookworm

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leila is a little witch who is good at everything, except baking! She wants to enter a bake contest, but when she practices her recipes at home, they always go wrong! Leila is discouraged, but her sisters come to the rescue and help her learn how to bake.

I liked the basic story of this book, but there some aspects that seemed way too creepy to me. Leila is adorable and sweet, and her family are lovely. They come together to help their sister, and they have such a cozy atmosphere in their home. There are some positive messages about family togetherness and having a good attitude during a competition.

However, there are a few elements in the story that I thought took the witchy concept too far for a children's book, and made it too creepy. The book says that Leila is "the most cunning conjurer" and shows an illustration of her standing in a circle of symbols conjuring up a demonic spirit of some kind, and she wins a trophy for "summoning". Her family is referred to as a "coven". There are pentagrams drawn on almost every page. She comes from a "long line of powerful women who were experts in the Dark Arts of Patisserie."

I thought the illustrations made the story seem more creepy and nasty than it needed to be too. There are a lot of snakes and spiders and gloopy blobs and spirit creatures. The whole thing kind of left me mildly disgusted.

I guess my expectations were for something different. I wanted a cute witch with a funny story, but this is a bit too dark for my taste.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Stephanie Tournas]

Leila is an adorable little witch with buck teeth and purple hair. She is excels at many witchy activities, such as flying, conjuring, shape-shifting and carving, and she has won more trophies than her three big sisters Adelfa, Fer and Lucy. She has her heart set on winning the upcoming Magnificent Witchy Cake-Off/”¡El magnífico brujiconcurso de repostería!” Apparently, she is from a long long of experts in the “Dark Arts of Patisserie.” But, baking turns out to be much harder than Leila expects, and there are some disastrous kitchen events. Finally, after being coached by her sisters, Leila produces her pièce de la résistance: a cake shaped like a spooky gray ghost with tentacles. Alas, Leila does not win the cake-off, but she comes home to a proud family who loves her and together with their familiars, they have a huge feast where they all eat cake.

This is a delightful, cozy story with lovable witches in a peaceful, happy family. I love Ms. Drago’s art, which is full of Mexican folkloric accents, such as papel picado and Day of the Dead skulls. Other fun details are gingerbread houses (with skulls!), teapots with faces, and lots of adorable little helping familiars running around. The Spanish edition retains all of the charm, even when substituting other expressions in Spanish that fit the bill, such as “La repostería resultó ser todo menos pan comido!” for “…baking wasn’t such a piece of cake!”

[Our Weekend Is Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leila the little witch has won trophies and awards for her witchy skills. She is truly a perfect witch. After entering a baking contest, Leila discovers she does not excel at baking and needs to practice. The baking disasters make for some funny pictures. Leila's sisters help her improve her baking skills and she is ready for the competition. While the results aren't exactly what Leila was hoping for, she learns an important lesson about not giving up and how family helps each other.

The story was great, but the illustrations made this book special. Flavia Z. Drago has such a distinctive illustration style and adds such interesting small details to each illustration. During the last week, we have read this several times, and each time my son has pointed out something we hadn't noticed before.

I highly recommend this book for elementary-aged children who will be delighted by Leila and her family and the message of not giving up when things get challenging.

This review first appeared on YA Book Central and can be found here https://www.yabookscentral.com/leila-...

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dare I say it? I’m not exactly sure, but I may love Leila even more than I love Gustavo. Then again, I may just need to read Gustavo again.
📖 Meet Leila, a very talented little witch who lived with her baba and three big sisters. Leila excelled at so many things and for that her room was adorned with numerous trophies. She had a very special spot in her room for one specific award she longed to achieve: The Magnificent Witchy Cake-Off! Much to her surprise, Leila soon realized that baking did not come that easily to her.
📖 With much practice and a lot of help from her loving family, Leila grew her baking talents! Will she finally win The Magnificent Witchy Cake-Off? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
📖 Another wonderful tale from Flavia Z. Drago! I love the storyline and illustrations. Showing that hard work and accepting a little bit of loving help can only push you closer to achieving your dream. This story is a great reminder to my three little readers about the power of working together to achieve magical things <—— Mom win! An excellent addition to the home library.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lelia, a young witch, is one of those young people who succeeds easily. She is accustomed to winning the awards and blue ribbons. This year, Lelia has hopes of winning a cake-off. The problem is that baking doesn’t come as easy as so many other tasks. She tries but the cakes fall or slide.

When Leila’s sisters offer to help, Leila, must accept their help if she wants a chance in the Cake-off. And, as a plus, Leila has fun with her sisters.

This is a very sweet children’s story. The message of accepting help and sharing a workload is clear and engaging. Since I listened to the audio, I didn’t get to enjoy what look like charming illustrations. I recommend the story and it might be good to get the audio and the print book to share with children.

Audio Notes: Marisa Blake does a very nice job with the narration. Her voicing enhanced my enjoyment of the book, even though I did miss the images.

Source: 2022 NetGalley. My Rating 4.5.

[Eve Costarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes it's hard to let our masks down and be real, we may fear rejection if we are not perfect. This is a fun, Halloween themed, but good for all year reading, story of a witch who is used to being perfect who comes to realize she is loved just as she is. She learns it is always best to strive hard but winning isn’t everything and that ebing a good friend and letting your friends see your vulnerability is the best prize of all. I absolutely love the illustrations. All of the creatures are endearing and there is an amazing amount of detail that will hold attention for hours, while searching for and counting every frog, gingerbread man and pumpkin. The end pages offer fulfilling information about the characters, too. This is a whole lot of Halloween fun that teaches the true meaning of family and self love. My 6 year old granddaughter will be receiving this for a special Halloween surprise.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leila is very good at everything, but the one trophy she doesn't have is the grand prize for the witchy bake off. She's finally old enough to enter the competition, but her cakes never seem to come out right. If Leila can't be perfect, will her family even love her anymore?

Definitely a sweet story, and not just because it's full of gingerbread houses and cupcakes. I really liked how the competition turned out, reminding us that who we are and our inherent lovability isn't based on merit alone.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just don’t think this had the charm of the Gustavo and Vlad books.

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Leila, the Perfect Witch' - how I adore this little, perfectly witchy book!

The art is adorable - you'll fall under its nostalgic spell. It's like a colouring book designed and already filled in by a child, and I mean that as a compliment.

I love the character designs, especially of little Leila's mum/baba, and her sisters, Adelfa, Fer and Lucy. Each member of the Wayward family is diverse and unique: examples - Leila has green skin and dark red-purplish hair; Fer has brown skin, a pointy, beaky nose, horns, and black wings for arms; Adelfa doesn't even look human, more like a grey, bald vampire, with a pointy nose and ears; and Lucy has fangs, too, plus black socks with pointy toes. All of this is never commented on. The Waywards are full of individuals, and they are utterly normal in their world. They are a playful, friendly, loving, supportive family of witches. It's fantastic.

The plot of 'Leila, the Perfect Witch' revolves around a 'The Great British Bake Off' parody, called the Magnificent Witchy Cake-Off, but there is so much more to it than that. There is a lot going on in each colourful, spooky, frightfully cute and wicked page. You do not want to miss anything in the art here. Therein lie clever, brilliant jokes that you might not get on the first read.

There is witchcraft - with surprisingly more details to it, including iconography, than you might expect from a "silly" children's picture book, and it's spectacular - and the Waywards live in a gingerbread house, and each witch has her own familiar: Basil the frog for Leila, Spirulina the spider for Adelfa, Mortimer the skull devil creature for Fer, Ignace the blue flame/ghost for Lucy, and Dr Blackwood the bluish-grey dog for Baba (Yaga!) (really, the only way to tell that he (or she?) is a dog and not a cat is his (or her) protruding nose).

There are also: a flying grey goat for Leila, a gingerbread man with an eyepatch, Hansel and Gretel as the witches' boogeymen, pumpkins, the Dark Arts of Patisserie, snakes, Greek myths, Russian dolls, fairies, crows, bugs, mushrooms, a goat Magnificent Witchy Cake-Off judge, a grim reaper judge, and lots of delicious-looking monster cakes!

Contrary to the book's title, the core message is that no one can actually be perfect. No one can be good at everything, even if they're a prodigy. Keep calm and relaxed during difficult and stressful tasks, including competitions. Let your loving family support you and help you.

And it is okay not to win. It is okay to lose sometimes. It is not the end of the world. You can only do your best, after all, and you can count on your family to always be there for you no matter what.

'Leila, the Perfect Witch' is a deliriously delicious treat, especially for lovers of witches and Halloween. It's cute, fun, funny, and delightfully spooky, like a big, Halloween-decorated cake. It's tremendously, wonderfully witchy. A terrific, modern fairy tale burlesque and farce (in their positive meanings). It should definitely receive a stop motion animated adaptation, destined to become a Halloween classic amid families.

Beginning book joke, on the publishing info page: 'No animals or magical creatures were harmed during the making of this book.'

Ending book joke, on a recipe for making a monster cake: one of the ingredients is unicorn farts.

Welcome to my witchy picture book shelf and coven, 'Leila, the Perfect Witch', alongside, *deep breath*: 'Witch in Training', 'Sunday the Sea Witch', 'The Witchling's Wish', 'My Mummy is a Witch', 'A Spoonful of Frogs', 'Witch Hazel', 'Once Upon a Witch's Broom', 'Griselda Snook's Spectacular Books', 'Millie Fleur's Poison Garden', 'Wicked: I Am Elphaba', and 'I Am Sally'. These books can also count: 'Imelda and the Goblin King', 'The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess', 'Heckedy Peg', and 'The Fairytale Hairdresser and Rapunzel'.

Let's all bake a magical monster cake together!

Final Score: 4/5

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leila the Witch loves to be perfect at everything. She has won lots of awards and trophies for things like flying, summoning, and magic apples. When she wants to enter the Magnificent Witchy Cake-Off her practice attempts go very wrong. Her sisters help her to improve her baking skills and when the show comes her cake is chosen to make the final. Will Leila win and how will she handle her time in the limelight?

This picture book by the author/illustrator of Gustavo, the Shy Ghost will amuse and bewitch picture book readers. The story was clever, and concepts of patience and good sportsmanship are written with young children in mind. The mixed media illustrations are fun and engaging and it was fun to spend more time looking at the smaller details that add depth to the world building that was created for the story. Leila and her family live in a gingerbread house (think Hansel and Gretel) with a Mexican Day of the Dead flair for the images as one example of excellent world building.

I would recommend this for read aloud to ages 4-8 and it would make a fun companion to students studying folk and fairytales to see if they can spot some popular characters in the images. There was also a version in Spanish included with this English version for review. The author/illustrator lives in Mexico, so I am sure the two translations are equally as excellent.

Recommended purchase for elementary and public libraries for picture book collections.

This book and its Spanish version were provided by the publisher (Candlewick) for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leila, the Perfect Witch written and illustrated by Flavia Z. Drago is a cozy, baking adventure with Leila, the Perfect Witch as the main character. Leila is very good at all the things she loves to do, conjuring, shape shifting, flying, and pumpkin carving. She has even won trophies. So when she wants to enter the Most Magnificent Witchy Cake Off, she doesn’t do so well. Lucky for Leila, her older sisters help her out. Will she win the cake off? Drago’s sweet and cozy writing style, along with her whimsical and bold illustrations, create a most charming fantasy story for readers of all ages. Artwork is done in mixed media. Make sure to investigate under the book jacket as well as the clever end pages. With themes of perseverance and family, readers will love to discover the outcome of Leila’s newest endeavor. Leila the Perfect Witch is a great read aloud for Halloween but also when learning about perseverance. In addition to reading this, you will also want to check out the other books in The World of Gustavo series: Gustavo the Shy Ghost and Vlad the Fabulous Vampire.

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leila, the Perfect Witch is a fun, adventurous and exciting book that is perfect for the spooky season that is fast approaching.

Leila is the the most cunning conjuror, the fastest flyer and the sneakiest shape-shifter but she isn't the winner of the most magnificent witchy cake-off - yet!

Leila soon realises that baking is harder than she realised and she soon starts to notice that perhaps she can't be the best at everything. She is however, determined.

The book is illustrated with full-page drawing that bring the tale to life. The illustrations are so fun and amusing to look at and really make the story.

The book is larger that your average children's picture book, it is also exceptionally good fun and certainly worth a read. I can see young children adoring this book and wanting to read it over and over.

[Hallpassreader Carrie Prock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an audiobook ARC from the publisher for my honest review.

Leila is a young witch who wins trophies for her amazing skills as a witch, but her dream is to win the Witchy Baking Competition. As she practices she finds it is something that is difficult for her. Instead of giving up her sisters help her get better. She doesn’t win the competition, but Leila was glad she had a fun time.

This story is a fun cute way to teach kids about how not everything is easy to do, but you can ask for help. It also teaches that losing ”isn’t so bad.” Having fun is what is important. I would have liked there to be a bit of hope at the end of the book though. Something like if she keeps practicing she could win next year’s competition.

[Becs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was delightful! I adore the spooky season, and spooky books are a big part of that (witchy spooky books, even better!). In this picture book, Leila is a witch who is ready to enter a baking competition and is absolutely determined to win. She hits a few road-bumps, but with the help of her sister she's able to take part. Eventually, Leila realises that taking part, and having fun, might be even better than winning.

I really loved the illustrations, how much heart there was in this book and the fun drizzled throughout. Quite often one of those three components takes a bit of a nose dive in favour of another, but the balance is just right here.

Easy to recommend for a softer spooky read for the spooky season!

ARC provided from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to LibroFM's Educator ALC program for an advanced listening copy of Leila, the Perfect Witch.

Leila is a talented witch who seems to be good at everything. When she decides to try her hand at baking, she finally meets her match. With some help from her sisters, does she stand a chance at winning a baking competition? I liked that this book includes some Spanish words and phrases, the illustrations are bright and fun, and the author lets readers know that winning isn't the only way to be successful.

Note: I was able to get a print copy from my library and read it in tandem with the audio.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leila has many talents and trophies, but has yet to showcase her baking skills. Now that she is old enough, she decides to enter the Witchy Cake-off. Although many in her family are expert bakers, Leila has a difficult time. Her witchy sisters, who have culinary skills and advice for overcoming an obstacle, help her out. Leila shows great determination and learns that having fun and being with family is what makes someone a winner. This is a charming book with detailed, whimsical illustrations.

[Sarah Dodds · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Leila’s story at bedtime. We loved hearing about all the ways she excelled and when she found she was floundering, my daughter suggested she should ask her friends for help. She was so excited that Leila took her advice and wasn’t too frustrated to go on.

This book held its own as an audiobook….I would love the one with illustrations to read in my classroom.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the beginning Leila is the best at everything, even over her three big sisters. That set the wrong tone for me. Also, there's so much going on in the pictures that I didn't always understand what was going on. But the ending is perfect... and it turns out that this book is intended to help children who have perfectionist tendencies to focus more on having fun.

My question is, where do kids get perfectionist tendencies? From parents. And who usually shares picture-books with kids? Their parents. Hm....

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leila is great at all things witchy! And she comes from a long line of witch bakers so she just assumes that she will be great at that, also. But alas - she is not. Never fear! Her three sisters are here to help her along and support her in the upcoming baking contest.
Very cute and stresses that there are more important elements to competition than winning. Eating cake, for example. And learning new things while reinforcing sister love.
You can use this book year round - it doesn't belong in the Halloween collection. Just keep it in the regular stacks.

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was cute. I liked Leila and her sisters. There was a nice touch of having Gustavo from the previous book show up in one of the drawings. I like Flavia’s artwork so much! It’s very playful and fun. I feel like this book is my least favorite of the three. Maybe it’s because I read it last. Maybe it’s the story, which I didn’t think was quite as fun as the others. Either way, I hope this author continues to write books about these characters! I enjoy the World of Gustavo! My favorite is still Vlad the Fabulous Vampire. :)

Mia’s Year of Books: Day 253

[Der Ratterich · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a cute picture book about learning, trying and not despairing if the outcome is different one than hoped for.

I got it for my birthday last year as I already bought Vlad the Fabulous Vampire for myself previously. The illustrations are very cute and I really enjoy them. The lessons are also valuable and I wish there more children’s books like this because while they’re spooky themed, they’re very age appropriate.

All in all a great kid’s book and a big recommendation for those who are looking for something spookier.