What do you think?
Rate this book
The Winter Witch
Stephen is dreading Christmas now that his parents are divorced and he, his sister, and his father are living in a new home with his new Jewish stepmother and new stepbrother. In this story Stephen learns about family and the meaning of several winter festivals.
- GenresChristmasPicture Books
32 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2005
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 4, 2024
With Clay Bonnyman Evans' 2005 picture book The Winter Witch, Christmas does not seem to be anything but horrid this year and also very much different for young protagonist Stephen, with his parents divorced, his mother living in California (and although not specifically textually mentioned by Bonnyman Evans perhaps not having custody of Stephen and his older sister Sarah either), his father married to Deborah, and with everyone now living at the stepmother's house (that Deborah's and her son Ari's home is now also Stephen's, Sarah's and their father's home).
And with Deborah and Ari being Jewish and Hanukkah celebrations thus of course featuring prominently (although Clay Bonnyman Evans also points out in The Winter Witch that the house has both a Christmas tree and a menorah), Stephen is shown by Bonnyman Evans as obviously and strongly emotionally finding it rather difficult to cope with and to accept all these changes and in particular that his beloved dog Dewey is constantly at odds with Deborah and Ari's cat Polly (not to mention that Dewey is also pretty much solely being blamed for those spats as well). Therefore when Dewey is booted out of the house in The Winter Witch after yet another pretty violent encounter with Polly (and will according to Stephen's father have to remain outside in the cold until he learns to no longer stalk and bother Polly) Stephen also storms out into the woods in anger and there encounters Mathilda, a mysterious elderly woman whom Stephen's stepbrother Ari has described as being a witch. But instead of being someone in any way frightening or uncanny, as someone in any manner sorceress like, Mathilda (and for me very much delightfully) is textually shown by Bonnyman Evans in The Winter Witch as basically a nature and wildlife loving wise and sweet-tempered woman, as someone who uses a Yule log in her fireplace instead of a Christmas tree, who strings berries and popcorn on the trees outside of her home for wintering birds, who has Stephen cut a hole into the ice of a nearby pond so that wildlife can drink and who shows the angry and frustrated with Christmas and life in general Stephen that there is in fact not much difference between winter celebrations such as Yule, Hanukkah and Christmas (since they all celebrate light, comfort and warmth) and that his dog can also get along with cats (and yes, when Stephen returns home at the end of The Winter Witch with a much more positive and optimistic attitude, this also seems to have been transferred to his dog, as Dewey accepts Polly and no longer tries to antagonise and harass her).
A lovely little tale (for me at least) The Winter Witch has been, but not really (and for that I am in fact glad) about anything magical and witchy but rather a sweet and emotionally satisfying story about blended families, about how winter celebrations are often very much similar with their focus on light, on joy, and yes, that wildlife, that birds, raccoons, cougars, rabbits etc. also deserve treats and comfort during the yuletide season. But while I really do absolutely adore Clay Bonnyman Evans' presented text for The Winter Witch, sorry, but the same can unfortunately not be said by me with regard to Robert Bender's accompanying artwork. For while there is an interesting impressionistic visual feel to Bender's pictures and that they also do a pretty decent job visually mirroring Bonnyman Evans' printed words, the way Bender uses colours in The Winter Witch is far too often a bit too clashingly garish and his human figures are (at least for me and in my opinion) rather aesthetically strange and also often make no logical sense either (such as for example that how Robert Bender has illustratively rendered Stephen's sister Sarah as she is seated on the sofa with Ari makes her look not like the teenager she is supposed to be but rather appearing more like a decrepit and frail old woman, and that Mathilda, while she does not look like a witch of course and fortunately in The Winter Witch also visually appears not really as someone all that approachable but more like some remote and cold goddess like figure, and which according to the author's, according to Clay Bonnyman Evans' featured text for The Winter Witch is most definitely not the case at all).
And thus, for me, while Bonnyman Evans' presented story for The Winter Witch is solidly and wonderfully, delightfully five stars for me, the illustrations are just not all that aesthetically appealing so that therefore the combination of words and artwork for The Winter Witch can only be three stars, a high three stars of course and I do in fact recommend The Winter Witch, but that no, with Robert Bender's not really visually appealing to me accompanying pictures, I cannot really consider a higher rating for The Winter Witch.
And with Deborah and Ari being Jewish and Hanukkah celebrations thus of course featuring prominently (although Clay Bonnyman Evans also points out in The Winter Witch that the house has both a Christmas tree and a menorah), Stephen is shown by Bonnyman Evans as obviously and strongly emotionally finding it rather difficult to cope with and to accept all these changes and in particular that his beloved dog Dewey is constantly at odds with Deborah and Ari's cat Polly (not to mention that Dewey is also pretty much solely being blamed for those spats as well). Therefore when Dewey is booted out of the house in The Winter Witch after yet another pretty violent encounter with Polly (and will according to Stephen's father have to remain outside in the cold until he learns to no longer stalk and bother Polly) Stephen also storms out into the woods in anger and there encounters Mathilda, a mysterious elderly woman whom Stephen's stepbrother Ari has described as being a witch. But instead of being someone in any way frightening or uncanny, as someone in any manner sorceress like, Mathilda (and for me very much delightfully) is textually shown by Bonnyman Evans in The Winter Witch as basically a nature and wildlife loving wise and sweet-tempered woman, as someone who uses a Yule log in her fireplace instead of a Christmas tree, who strings berries and popcorn on the trees outside of her home for wintering birds, who has Stephen cut a hole into the ice of a nearby pond so that wildlife can drink and who shows the angry and frustrated with Christmas and life in general Stephen that there is in fact not much difference between winter celebrations such as Yule, Hanukkah and Christmas (since they all celebrate light, comfort and warmth) and that his dog can also get along with cats (and yes, when Stephen returns home at the end of The Winter Witch with a much more positive and optimistic attitude, this also seems to have been transferred to his dog, as Dewey accepts Polly and no longer tries to antagonise and harass her).
A lovely little tale (for me at least) The Winter Witch has been, but not really (and for that I am in fact glad) about anything magical and witchy but rather a sweet and emotionally satisfying story about blended families, about how winter celebrations are often very much similar with their focus on light, on joy, and yes, that wildlife, that birds, raccoons, cougars, rabbits etc. also deserve treats and comfort during the yuletide season. But while I really do absolutely adore Clay Bonnyman Evans' presented text for The Winter Witch, sorry, but the same can unfortunately not be said by me with regard to Robert Bender's accompanying artwork. For while there is an interesting impressionistic visual feel to Bender's pictures and that they also do a pretty decent job visually mirroring Bonnyman Evans' printed words, the way Bender uses colours in The Winter Witch is far too often a bit too clashingly garish and his human figures are (at least for me and in my opinion) rather aesthetically strange and also often make no logical sense either (such as for example that how Robert Bender has illustratively rendered Stephen's sister Sarah as she is seated on the sofa with Ari makes her look not like the teenager she is supposed to be but rather appearing more like a decrepit and frail old woman, and that Mathilda, while she does not look like a witch of course and fortunately in The Winter Witch also visually appears not really as someone all that approachable but more like some remote and cold goddess like figure, and which according to the author's, according to Clay Bonnyman Evans' featured text for The Winter Witch is most definitely not the case at all).
And thus, for me, while Bonnyman Evans' presented story for The Winter Witch is solidly and wonderfully, delightfully five stars for me, the illustrations are just not all that aesthetically appealing so that therefore the combination of words and artwork for The Winter Witch can only be three stars, a high three stars of course and I do in fact recommend The Winter Witch, but that no, with Robert Bender's not really visually appealing to me accompanying pictures, I cannot really consider a higher rating for The Winter Witch.
August 12, 2023
The Christmas season didn't seem the same to Stephen following his father's remarriage to Deborah, his new Jewish stepmother. The young boy found it difficult to adjust to being part of a blended, interfaith family, and even his beloved dog, Dewey, didn't seem to get along with the pet cat that came with their new living situation. Storming out after yet another spat between dog and cat, Stephen went for a walk in the nearby woods, encountering Mathilda—the mysterious old woman whom he had heard described as a witch by his new stepbrother, Ari. Wise in her ways, Mathilda brought Stephen home for some hot chocolate (after having him chop a hole in the icy pond for her), and slowly drew him out about his discontent. Watching the wildlife coming to the hole in the pond to drink, Mathilda shared her thoughts about the meaning of the season, and of its major holidays—about the importance of light to Christmas, Hanukkah and Yule—leaving Stephen in a much better frame of mind, as he headed home...
Published in 2005, The Winter Witch appears to be author Clay Bonnyman Evans' only children's book, although he has also written and published a number of works for adults. Illustrator Robert Bender, on the other hand, has written and illustrated quite a few other titles for young people, including one other witchy picture-book—the 1992 A Little Witch Magic , which I have read and enjoyed. Not surprisingly, given my interest in picture-books and other heavily illustrated texts featuring witches—a perennial pet project of mine—I sought this one out solely because of the witchy content. That being said, Mathilda strikes me as more of a Wiccan/Neo-Pagan kind of witch, than a magical one, and the story here is more about the drama of a blended family, and learning to find common ground between different religious belief systems, than it is about anything fantastical. The story is engaging enough, and might strike a chord with children in a similar situation, although I didn't connect with it emotionally, and don't think it is destined to become a favorite. The artwork has a darkly impressionistic quality, and is interesting, but somehow not quite to my taste. Something about the human faces just felt a little off to me. On the whole I am glad I tracked this one down, but I think I would recommend it more as a story about interfaith families at the holidays, than as any sort of witchy tale.
Published in 2005, The Winter Witch appears to be author Clay Bonnyman Evans' only children's book, although he has also written and published a number of works for adults. Illustrator Robert Bender, on the other hand, has written and illustrated quite a few other titles for young people, including one other witchy picture-book—the 1992 A Little Witch Magic , which I have read and enjoyed. Not surprisingly, given my interest in picture-books and other heavily illustrated texts featuring witches—a perennial pet project of mine—I sought this one out solely because of the witchy content. That being said, Mathilda strikes me as more of a Wiccan/Neo-Pagan kind of witch, than a magical one, and the story here is more about the drama of a blended family, and learning to find common ground between different religious belief systems, than it is about anything fantastical. The story is engaging enough, and might strike a chord with children in a similar situation, although I didn't connect with it emotionally, and don't think it is destined to become a favorite. The artwork has a darkly impressionistic quality, and is interesting, but somehow not quite to my taste. Something about the human faces just felt a little off to me. On the whole I am glad I tracked this one down, but I think I would recommend it more as a story about interfaith families at the holidays, than as any sort of witchy tale.
July 25, 2008
A perfect wintery story that brings together everyone of all religions. Nice!
December 26, 2016
Great holiday book for kids. Touches on Christmas, Hannukah, and Yule through the experiences of Stephen, a boy getting through his first holiday season with a newly blended family.
February 10, 2018
What a beautiful book with such cheerful and cozy illustrations! I really enjoyed it and its message is one of acceptance, love and the comfort of family, friends, animals and nature. This is a book that can be enjoyed by children and grown-ups alike.
December 14, 2016
This tale of being lost and found during the December holidays works well on two levels. On the one hand, it's a story about a young boy (Stephen) adjusting to life within his new blended family. On the other hand, it's a story about building interfaith bridges of understanding through learning about other people's holidays. More specifically, Stephen learns how the holidays that cluster around the Winter Solstice (December 21/22) -- Christmas, Hannukah, Yule, inter alia -- all share common themes that can be appreciated by everyone, even by people from outside the faith traditions that created them. Light overcomes darkness; warmth banishes the cold; life defeats death; and love trumps hate. :) These are valuable life lessons that transcend the walls that divide one faith tradition from another and encourage us to look beyond our differences to embrace the common values that we all share together.
October 30, 2023
Bad enough that Stephen's parents have divorced. Now Christmas is coming and he's going to have to spend it with his Jewish stepmother and stepbrother.
Wisdom from the witch, for whom this picture book is named:
"You see," [she] said, "it's a dark, cold time for all God's creatures. And no matter what you call it--Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, or just plain winter--it's a time to comfort others and shed light on darkness, whether from lights on a tree, menorah candles, or a glowing Yule log. For wild creatures, there's just starlight. But, Stephen, it's all one light."
RATING THIS SWEET BOOK
Intended readers are clearly those who believe that it's all one light, whether a dog that howls at the moon or people who follow different religions (which I believe have different names for good reason), yet it's "all one light."
Not my opinion. Yet I liked this book otherwise, and clearly the intended audience demands a FIVE STAR rating. Agreed, it's a good thing to learn new perspective from others about this winter season of celebrating light.
Wisdom from the witch, for whom this picture book is named:
"You see," [she] said, "it's a dark, cold time for all God's creatures. And no matter what you call it--Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, or just plain winter--it's a time to comfort others and shed light on darkness, whether from lights on a tree, menorah candles, or a glowing Yule log. For wild creatures, there's just starlight. But, Stephen, it's all one light."
RATING THIS SWEET BOOK
Intended readers are clearly those who believe that it's all one light, whether a dog that howls at the moon or people who follow different religions (which I believe have different names for good reason), yet it's "all one light."
Not my opinion. Yet I liked this book otherwise, and clearly the intended audience demands a FIVE STAR rating. Agreed, it's a good thing to learn new perspective from others about this winter season of celebrating light.
October 8, 2018
A young boy's life has become one of confusion when his father remarries. His new mother and sibling celebrate Hanukah, while he and his father celebrate Christmas. He eventually learns it doesnt matter what you celebrate, but rather doing kindness for others is its own reward.
December 22, 2021
I read this to my kids every year. It's a short and beautiful tale. My favorite part is when the woman in the woods tells the boy that "it's all the same light." This is a good reminder and truth for these fractured times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2015
Personal Reaction: I enjoyed this book and liked the message behind it. No matter what you believe in, winter time is a time to bring comfort to others and shed light on darkness. This message really stood out to me!
Purposes: Read aloud for enrichment.
-This book could be read aloud for students 3rd through 5th grade.
-This story would be good to read during winter time around Christmas and Hanukkah, especially. This book could be read if the teacher had a lesson on what Hanukkah is, and how people celebrate it. The most important message this book gives is no matter how you celebrate winter time, it doesn't matter as long and you're with family and friends and bringing light to the world.
-Children can also relate to this story if they just became a part of a new family. Maybe their parents just got divorced and they are having to get used to step siblings and parents. This book shows that you have to make the best out of every situation and that if you have a positive attitude everything will turn out okay.
-The words on each page are outlined in a blue box, while the illustrations cover the rest of the page. The illustrations are all very colorful and fun to look at, which will keep the children engaged.
Purposes: Read aloud for enrichment.
-This book could be read aloud for students 3rd through 5th grade.
-This story would be good to read during winter time around Christmas and Hanukkah, especially. This book could be read if the teacher had a lesson on what Hanukkah is, and how people celebrate it. The most important message this book gives is no matter how you celebrate winter time, it doesn't matter as long and you're with family and friends and bringing light to the world.
-Children can also relate to this story if they just became a part of a new family. Maybe their parents just got divorced and they are having to get used to step siblings and parents. This book shows that you have to make the best out of every situation and that if you have a positive attitude everything will turn out okay.
-The words on each page are outlined in a blue box, while the illustrations cover the rest of the page. The illustrations are all very colorful and fun to look at, which will keep the children engaged.
December 1, 2008
grades 1-4
fluent/independent
divorce/religion/family conflict/step family
mysterious looking animals/illustrations pop off the page/strong characters
the real meaning of christmas, winter, and holidays/acceptance of all people "one light"
fluent/independent
divorce/religion/family conflict/step family
mysterious looking animals/illustrations pop off the page/strong characters
the real meaning of christmas, winter, and holidays/acceptance of all people "one light"
January 2, 2009
I came to the book thinking I found a story about Italy's La Befana, but was disappointed.
A good book for a blended family struggling with honoring different religious celebrations.
A good book for a blended family struggling with honoring different religious celebrations.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews