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The Witch's Big Night

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The Halloween witch in this story is very perturbed by the visitors who come to her door. No candy for them, instead she offers spiders, smelly dead fish, or a handful of worms.
She’s scary and grumpy. Her frustration stems from the fact that not one of the trick-or-treaters has the gumption to trick her ,except for one kindly skunk. A tub of bobbing apples does the trick. How he does it is for you to find out.

Full of amusing rhyme and whimsical illustrations that will delight even the most outrageous Halloween characters in your household.

If this sounds like something you would like, scroll up to download your copy.

Be sure to take a peek at THE VERY HELPFUL MONSTERS another very funny book by Sally Huss.

43 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 9, 2014

92 people are currently reading
168 people want to read

About the author

Sally Huss

175 books64 followers
For years I have wanted to do what I am doing now -- writing and illustrating my children's books. Electronic drawing pads and e-books have made it possible for me to create and publish my own books -- and do so in quantity. In the past, Harcourt Brace, Ten Speed Press, Thomas Nelson had only published a few.

The books were always squeezed in between art I needed to do to fill 26 Sally Huss Galleries (my degree was from USC in Fine Art); and licensing demands for clothing, greeting cards (American Greetings), purses, bibs, dinnerware, wallpaper; and the daily King Features Syndicated inspirational panel I do for newspapers called Happy Musings.

Through the years my art and writings have found their way into homes from Hollywood to The White House and perhaps even your house or your mother's.

Along with art, I have had a long history with tennis. In fact I was raised to be a champion (U.S. Junior and Wimbledon Champion, then a semi-finalist in the women's division at Wimbledonin singles and doubles). Later I became one of the top senior players in the country. This experience lead to my writing and illustrating a couple of books on the game -- EIGHT GOLDEN RULES FOR HOW TO PLAY YOUR BEST TENNIS (endorsed by Billie Jean King, Mary Carrillo, Dick Enberg, etc.) and LOVE LADIES LEAGUE TENNIS.

I mostly read the books of the French Philosopher Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov. For me, these present the clearest and most practical explanation of life and man's structure in it that I've come across. These light-filled pages send my heart soaring and give me food for my present work.

Presently I write, illustrate and paint in my Solana Beach, California studio where I live with my husband Marv. I also still play a bit of tennis and walk the beach daily.

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5 stars
175 (40%)
4 stars
122 (28%)
3 stars
87 (20%)
2 stars
29 (6%)
1 star
16 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
Profile Image for Miss Meghan's Class.
152 reviews7 followers
October 22, 2014
This was a cute story and reminded me a lot of that famous Christmas story about being woken up by Santa.

The kids loved seeing the things she was giving to the kids who came to her house and felt bad for her because she was getting so frustrated with no one trying to trick her. In the end, they were very happy she became friends with the skunk and that she was finally happy.
Profile Image for S.A. Krishnan.
Author 31 books234 followers
November 7, 2023
Cute Halloween Story

On Halloween, many kids come to a witch’s house, but none of them succeed. Finally a little boy dressed as a skunk comes in.

Fun story for kids for Halloween. Cute read.
Profile Image for Melissa T.
616 reviews30 followers
October 15, 2018
This is a very sweet story. It reminds me a lot of The Night Before Christmas. It's styled the same way in rhyme. It has a great message for kids about being kind. I do wish that the the illustrations were a bit more sharp, it would have done this book a greater justice.
Profile Image for Barbara Ann.
Author 22 books187 followers
October 20, 2015
Rhyming book for preschoolers and early elementary school age children. Focusing on Halloween, it begins with a rhyme that is reminiscent of "The Night Before Christmas." A witch opens her door to many children who asking for treats. Instead of candy, she hands out things like dead fish, worms, and spiders. She thinks her visitors are scared-y-cats. What she really wants is to find one who is not afraid. Will the witch meet her match? Can she be persuaded to be nice? Fun illustrations and a good choice for classroom read aloud or Halloween party.
Profile Image for Julie Barrett.
9,208 reviews206 followers
November 1, 2015
Children's Books: THE WITCH'S BIG NIGHT (Very Funny, Rhyming Bedtime Story/Picture Book for Beginner Readers About Halloween and Kindness, Ages 2-8)
Colorful children's book about Halloween. Along the same lines as the night before Christmas, this one is also a rhyming book about the Halloween celebrations.
The witch is the one expected tonight, with treats for all. Everybody is frightened of the witch passing out tricks or treats. One is able to trick the witch into doing good things...
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.
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Profile Image for Abigail.
8,011 reviews265 followers
October 20, 2024
"T'was the night of Halloween and all through the house, every creature was stirring, even the grouse." So begins this rhyming picture book celebration of Halloween and one witch's travails. Greeting numerous trick-or-treaters with all the mean tricks she can think of, including handing out worms and fish, the witch is dispirited when none of her visitors respond in kind. Then a thoughtful skunk shows up on her doorstep, kindly listens to her complaints, and helps her to come to a different mindset through trickery...

Although I have not encountered her work before, Sally Huss appears to be a very prolific self-published children's author and illustrator, with more than one hundred colorful picture books under her belt. Many of these appear to inculcate specific lessons about being kind and considerate, having good manners, and so on. In any case, I sought out The Witch's Big Night because of its theme, as witchy picture books are a pet project of mine. I thought it started out well enough, and appreciated the nod to Clement Clark Moore's classic holiday poem, T'was the Night Before Christmas. That said, some of the subsequent rhymes were awkward, and felt rather shoe-horned in. The artwork was colorful and cute, in a cartoon-like way, but was not exactly to my taste—I thought it was in the style of Sandra Boynton, but far less sharp, far less expressive, and done with less charm. Tastes vary, of course, and young children might enjoy it more than I did. On the whole I am glad to have read this one, given my interest in the theme, but I found it uneven, and don't strongly recommend it.

Note: If half stars were available, this would be a 2.5-star rating from me, but as they are not, I have rounded up in honor of the season, and given the fact that I do generally enjoy witchy fare, even when I don't love it.
670 reviews
November 4, 2019
The Witch's Big Night is a fun Halloween story about a witch who scares all of the trick or treating children away but she can't understand why, she just wants to be tricked herself, until she meets a kind child who teaches her a lesson.

This is a really lovely story and is very clever how the witch is living life according to the stereotype witches are given. It is a nice way to show children that we should think about how we behave even if it's different from how everyone perceives us as and having a young child changing the witch's heart is a nice touch to the story.

It is nice to see how the witch changes throughout the book and I like that we got to see that she misunderstood how she behaved as it shows that she wanted to change her life for the better. The illustrations are brightly coloured and it is fun to see all of the children dressed up for Halloween but it would have been nice to have a bit more detail in the pictures.

This is a really fun rhyming book for young children over Halloween and has a great message for them to learn within.
Profile Image for P.S. Winn.
Author 105 books367 followers
October 17, 2017
Like "The Night before Christmas" the tale uses rhymes and fun to tell children about Halloween. The author uses big illustrations with bright colors and large text that is easy for younger children to read to deliver a great book and a new spooky tradition to make Halloween a Big Night of fun for all ages.
Profile Image for Tia Garrigues.
315 reviews
October 11, 2019
Cute Rhyming Halloween Fun

The story was adorable and had a happy (but not sickeningly sweet!) ending. My 6yo liked the rhymes and the illustration (though she said the witch looks like me!). I would definitely recommend this book as a kid friendly Halloween bedtime story.
47 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2022
Perfect Book to Read to Trick-or-Treaters

This is very cute story about a Witch’s favorite night of the year. This is a wonderful story about kindness and is a great rhyming, read-aloud for any time. Wonderfully illustrated too!
Profile Image for Nancy Brewer.
9 reviews
May 9, 2017
It's ok

For a short kid's book, it's ok. I guess the story line of a mean witch making friends with a skunk and being nice to the skunk, is ok, too.
Profile Image for Petra Becerra.
5 reviews
September 28, 2017
Great book for kids

Great book to read for kids or to kids. Especially around October!!! My kiddos loved it. It rhymed and made it simple and fun.
2 reviews
September 27, 2018
Children book

It was a very interesting book and get enjoyable to read to my grandchildren. They thought quite funny and liked the story line.
22 reviews
October 15, 2022
Just the thing!

Just a perfectly cute little teaching book about having fun, making beloved childhood memories and being kind for any Halloween “ghoulie”.
18 reviews
May 6, 2017
It doesn't have to be Halloween to enjoy

My 6 yr old granddaughter got a kick out of the story & so did I. It was great. So many of her "site" words were in this simple rhyming story. I can't wait to get more books from this entertaining author!
Profile Image for Angela Lambkin.
2,354 reviews27 followers
October 6, 2015
How will you celebrate Halloween? In kindness or being wicked ?

What a delightful and entertaining children's ebook just in time for Halloween Eve. And such delightful and beautiful illustrations which I would recommend for kids from 2-8! Above are my reasons for giving this ebook five stars. I received this ebook for free and in return am now doing an honest review. Great job Sally! By Angela
Profile Image for Lori Ann Reeve.
7 reviews
July 13, 2015
Everyone has kindness within them.

Really fun story with flowing rhyming verses. It take s one kind little skunk for the mean witch to show her kind side. This book will be a big hit with your kids. They will want it read again and again. I will recommend this book on my website. www.rkidsucceed.com
Profile Image for Lolita Nettles.
240 reviews2 followers
October 6, 2015
An adorable read

I read this to my children and my niece and nephew (18 months-10 years old) . They all thought it was entertaining and very funny. We all enjoyed the rhymes and the illustrations. Would definitely buy more of this author, as even the children were able to see the lesson of friendship and understanding of differences.
Profile Image for Melissa.
335 reviews27 followers
October 18, 2015
This book was really cute. I enjoyed the artwork and the theme of the story however the rhyming scheme did not work out for all of the pages. Sally Huss tried to the Night Before Christmas rhyming format, but most of the pages did not fit. The story was still great and I had a lot of fun reading it. I cannot wait to share it with the kids that I work with.
Profile Image for jenny ritter.
1 review
October 27, 2015
2nd chance for this author

I had previously ordered 'Princess in a Teacup' and read it to my granddaughter. Neither of us were terribly impressed. This book has a much better flow and I find it much easier to read to a small (3 yr old) child as it is less convoluted. The illustrations are beautiful and fun.
37 reviews
November 5, 2015
The Witch is home to celebrate Halloween but finds herself bored of children who fail to surprise or trick her. She then gets surprised when a child in a skunk costume tricks her into committing an act of kindness. I would read aloud before Halloween for a fun activity. I would also point out how the author was probably inspired by "Twas the Night Before Christmas".
Profile Image for McKenzie Richardson.
Author 68 books67 followers
November 11, 2016
Okay story.

It was set to the rhythm of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", which worked in the beginning, but it became clunky by the end.

The story itself was confusing and in my opinion didn't really promote niceness (the witch is tricked into being nice?).

The illustrations were okay, but very simplistic and not all that engaging.
Profile Image for Katelyn Cheatwood.
46 reviews1 follower
October 25, 2015
Cute witch Halloween story!

I really enjoyed reading this Halloween book! I got it free on kindle unlimited! I hope to find more cute Halloween stories to get in the mood for Halloween!
Profile Image for Eileen Carter.
2,061 reviews9 followers
October 25, 2016
This book is easy to read with is rhymes and pictures to help children decode more difficult words. Children will enjoy the antics of the witch and delight in the ending. The pictures are colorful and portray the emotions of the characters well.
Profile Image for Monica.
604 reviews61 followers
December 16, 2017
An enjoyable story of a witch who doesn’t like the kids who come keeping to her door on Halloween night, she doesn’t give out candy but spiders and other creatures but what gets to her more is that no one tries to trick her. Will she get her wish? Well, you will have to wait and see.
Profile Image for Sarah Elizabeth.
5,002 reviews1,412 followers
October 28, 2014
(Downloaded for free from Amazon.co.uk)

This was an okay children's story. That witch turned out to be really easy to trick though!
6 out of 10.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews

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