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One Witch

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The book of the Halloween season that's sure to become a year-round classic. One witch, on a hill, had an empty pot to fill. So what does that one witch do? She goes around to visit all her fiendish friends, naturally; two cats, three scarecrows, four goblins, five vampires, six mummies, seven owls, eight ghosts, nine skeletons, and ten werewolves. At every stop they contribute ghoulishly tasty ingredients until the witch has enough to make a properly gruesome stew for her party. Then, of course, she must send out her invitations; to the ten werewolves, nine
skeletons, eight ghosts, seven owls, six mummies… Count up and count down again as one witch gets ready for a fun-filled monster bash. Come along, they've got a special surprise waiting just…FOR…YOU!

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2004

1 person is currently reading
99 people want to read

About the author

Laura Leuck

14 books7 followers

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5 stars
60 (25%)
4 stars
101 (42%)
3 stars
69 (29%)
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5 (2%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
Profile Image for Adriana Scarpin.
1,741 reviews
November 2, 2024
Deveria ter lido esse ontem à noite, mas fiquei tão encantada com as ilustrações do SD Schindler nos livros de gatos alados da Ursula Le Guin que fui procurar mais do seu trabalho no archive.org .
One Spooky Night/One Witch é um livro bem divertido que ensina que bruxa sabe muito bem o que é práxis comunal, no dia de Halloween ela sai pegando ingredientes de toda a vizinhança para fazer uma grande festa à noite e o leitor também é convidado.
Profile Image for Lisa Vegan.
2,915 reviews1,317 followers
September 25, 2010
Great counting book 1 to 10 then 10 to 1. Works as a Halloween book, so well in fact that it’s not for the squeamish or the easily scared. Ultimately though, this is an enjoyable book and it’s a terrific read aloud.

I hated the way the cats were depicted and the rest of the illustrations were a bit too ghoulish for me, but they were interesting. I simultaneously wanted to turn away and look in fascination. I appreciated their inventiveness and how well they complemented the story, but I can’t say I loved them.

The rhyming story (yes, there is a story!) was good and actually quite amusing, and it had a fun (though predictable) last line.
Profile Image for Abigail.
8,025 reviews265 followers
October 12, 2018
A witch sets out to collect ingredients from all her creepy friends in One Witch, from the "Two cats inside a pail," who "gave the witch a fish's tail," to the "Ten werewolves in a group," who "gave the witch some spider soup," eventually gathering enough to hold a feast for everyone.

Now this is what I was hoping the recent Which Way to Witch School? (which failed to live up to my expectations) would be - an engagingly witchy picture-book told entirely in rhyme! Amazingly, given the fact that I was a little ambivalent about the cover illustration, and generally don't take to counting books, this one really impressed me. The rhyme-scheme didn't feel forced, the rhythm would make for an energetic read-aloud, and the ink and watercolor illustrations had a zany charm that was completely unexpected, after the uninspiring cover. Best of all, it actually had a story!
Profile Image for Mariah Roze.
1,059 reviews1,053 followers
October 16, 2017
I read this book to my math class because it is counting up to and down from 9.

"One witch, on a hill, had an empty pot to fill. So what does that one witch do? She goes around to visit all her fiendish friends, naturally; two cats, three scarecrows, four goblins, five vampires, six mummies, seven owls, eight ghosts, nine skeletons, and ten werewolves."

The witch needs ingredients for stew for her party.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
4,793 reviews
October 13, 2010
A very fun rhyming counting book--it reminds me a little of a Halloween take on "stone soup" where the witch goes around asking her ghoulish friends for things to add to her stew. The rhymes work well and Ooooh! very spooky illustrations! (A little too spooky for some children, I think--depending on what scares them, you've got skeletons coming out of graves, werewolves cooking stew, mummies, ghosts, etc...) I am usually more of a cozy-Halloween type person so all the creepy stuff isn't my thing but it's done so well here and there is nothing scary that they do--it's just the illustrations. Definitely recommended to children who like deliciously spooky Halloween books!
22 reviews1 follower
February 21, 2020
Target Audience: 4-8
This spooky book follows one witch as she goes around to various creatures collecting odd and sometimes gross ingredients. Each time she collects another ingredient, the reader gets to follow along in the counting. Not only is there counting, but each page introduces a sing-song rhyme. Though there are a lot of creepy elements, this book has good themes of friendship and sharing all culminating the final pages. The illustrations are well done and are incredibly detailed. Don’t expect to quickly read this book before Halloween and put it down. Instead, take the time to observe all of the little details Schindler puts into each filled page. You will truly enjoy reading and looking at this spooky book.
Profile Image for Cyndi.
988 reviews64 followers
September 28, 2017
My granddaughter and I read this aloud together. Here is Aniyah's opinion: Favorite part gathering the stew ingredients. Really liked the end where the last bowl was saved for ...YOU.
All in all a good read that even Papa enjoyed listening to!
Profile Image for Set.
2,173 reviews
August 23, 2019
hnnnkmm
This is a counting book about a witch collecting ingredients for her brew. Honestly, the illustrations are way too creepy for my liking.
Profile Image for Pam.
1,646 reviews
October 19, 2018
A wonderful counting book for the younger kids at Halloween. Warning it is a bit gross, as in eating bugs and the like, but most kids should love that. The wonderful rhyming text by Laura Leuck and the gorgeous illustrations by S. D. Schindler will make this book a hit with kids and parents as well!
Profile Image for Melki.
7,310 reviews2,619 followers
October 31, 2022
Count along with a not-too-scary witch as she visits all her creepy pals to collect ingredients for a special feast. A cute counting book, accompanied by delightfully eerie artwork by S.D Schindler.

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Profile Image for Kelly.
8,847 reviews18 followers
September 29, 2017
Wonderful Halloween book! Skeletons, weresolves, vampires, bats, and all things Halloween related are in this counting book, but none of them are scary. There is enough levity to these characters that they come across as non-threatening, but still very Halloweenie.
Profile Image for Peacegal.
11.7k reviews102 followers
October 30, 2023
Wonderfully creepy and creative illustrations are a highlight of this cumulative story, perfect for the Halloween season. The illustrations might be a little too creepy for very young or sensitive kids, but for those who are in the full swing of Halloween, this one's a real hoot.
Profile Image for Adrianne Rosal.
1,461 reviews10 followers
October 25, 2018
Anyone up for witch stew?? Very cute counting book and for Halloween also.
Profile Image for Roger.
1,110 reviews6 followers
July 24, 2019
Great art and an original counting story.
Profile Image for kaitlyn.
391 reviews
October 26, 2012
This was a fun little book, and the kindergartners really enjoyed yelling out EEEW every time the witch got some new gross ingredient from her friends. I appreciated that the kids recognized that even though the witch's stew was gross, it was really nice that all of her friends shared with her and she shared with them.

I had to point out the counting pattern to them—this particular class is having a hard time with their numbers, so it was nice to review with them. They also practiced recognizing the first letter of the author's last name so they know what order to put the books away in, and they were surprisingly good at it.
21 reviews
February 18, 2016
I adored this picture book! The book helps teach kids how to count, but in a clever and entertaining way. I loved that Laura Leuck did not 'dumb' the book down for a younger audience but instead was clever with the rhyming. The illustrations were my favorite though, border lining on possibly being a little bit too scary for the little ones. I strongly recommend this as a counting or Halloween book!
Profile Image for jacky.
3,496 reviews93 followers
October 26, 2010
What a fun counting book for Halloween! A witch gathers ingredients from groups of scary creatures (vampires, werewolves, mummies, ghosts) and then throws a party for them to share it. Clear rhythm and rhyming. Nice illustrations that aren't too scary, but not babyish either. And its far more fun than the type of book that just labels groups of things with numbers.
Profile Image for Melanie.
281 reviews
October 7, 2009
All the classic Halloween characters are here in a book that encourages counting in a new take on the "stone soup" story about a witch who needs to fill up her cauldron. Some of the illustrations are a little scary/dark, but not excessively. It is still very enjoyable for the preschool set.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews

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