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A Very Brave Witch #1
A Very Brave Witch
On the far side of town in a big dark house lives a brave little witch. She has heard lots and lots about that very human holiday Halloween, and even though she thinks she knows what humans are like, she has never, ever seen Halloween for herself.
Until one very special Halloween comes along . . .
Until one very special Halloween comes along . . .
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
4 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
Alison McGhee
54 books402 followersAlison McGhee writes novels, picture books, poems, and essays for all ages, including the just-published THE OPPOSITE OF FATE, a novel, and the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestseller SOMEDAY, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Her work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She lives in Minneapolis and California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
October 10, 2018
A good book for beginners. This story is about witches and witches are terrified of humans, believe it or not. Still, the witches enjoy dressing up for Halloween. This Halloween, one witch flies over a town where humans live to check it out and she meets and actual human who wants to fly. They become friends. That is the story.
Facing your fears and challenging assumptions your community makes are the issues being dealt with here. Good stuff. The art work is serviceable.
The kids thought this was a good book. I did read it to my niece who wants to be a witch for Halloween and she is not going to be a green skin witch I am told and she will look better than either of the witches in this book. She gave this 3 stars.
Facing your fears and challenging assumptions your community makes are the issues being dealt with here. Good stuff. The art work is serviceable.
The kids thought this was a good book. I did read it to my niece who wants to be a witch for Halloween and she is not going to be a green skin witch I am told and she will look better than either of the witches in this book. She gave this 3 stars.
May 24, 2021
This book started off really well. However, the ending felt rush.
May 30, 2020
I enjoyed the hidden details of the illustrations and the Halloween atmosphere. I wish there had been more plot and development of the witches’ fear of humans.
July 23, 2012
This book was a definite disappointment. I adore Halloween-inspired children's literature, but this book lacked detail and description. I enjoyed the photos, which had little bits of humor here and there, but they far eclipsed the plot and writing. The story lacked originality and a story-teller's flare that is so essential in keeping the minds of little ones engaged.
August 8, 2018
This was a very good book for very young readers. Some really nice and funny pictures too.
September 30, 2010
A cute "turning the tables" story in which a community of witches is frightened of humans. A little witch (a very brave one, at that) decides that she will fly down to the human community to observe what they are like--from a safe distance, of course! But, when her flight goes awry and she bumps into a REAL HUMAN (OMG!) she will soon find out if the other witches have been right all along, or if perhaps some over-exaggeration was at play.
There is, of course, a great message here in that we should not be judgmental simply based on what others say, but should investigate for ourselves and make our own conclusions. The story is cute and humorous--I love the little tidbits in the illustrations such as a National Enquirer-like magazine a witch is carrying which boasts the headline "REAL HUMAN SPOTTED IN WITCH'S COMMUNITY" (or something very similar--I don't have the book with me now). Funny stuff :-)
To be honest, I dithered between three and four stars on this, because initially I wasn't that captivated by the storytelling but I ultimately thought it had enough cute elements and a nice message so I went with four.
There is, of course, a great message here in that we should not be judgmental simply based on what others say, but should investigate for ourselves and make our own conclusions. The story is cute and humorous--I love the little tidbits in the illustrations such as a National Enquirer-like magazine a witch is carrying which boasts the headline "REAL HUMAN SPOTTED IN WITCH'S COMMUNITY" (or something very similar--I don't have the book with me now). Funny stuff :-)
To be honest, I dithered between three and four stars on this, because initially I wasn't that captivated by the storytelling but I ultimately thought it had enough cute elements and a nice message so I went with four.
April 17, 2017
Of the two McGhee books we read last night, this is definitely the one for younger kids. Very friendly and non-scary. Bliss's cat is up to all kinds of amusing stuff.
Library copy
Library copy
October 30, 2016
Didn’t think it would be good, but just got it cause it was a Halloween book.
Reading the description I was like aw, that sounds good. A cute stoy about a girl witch discovering Halloween.
On the first page, I was like oh no. A cat is walking a dinosaur. I think that’s all I need to say.
How could a witch hide behind the ‘keep out’ sign, which is hanging on a metal chain. Which means her body would show underneath it.
To further along the ridiculousness, the dinosaur turns into the little girl witch.
The newspaper talks of a human sighting in witch town, which was clever, because usually it would be the other way around.
I thought it was clever and very unique to have the witches pour ghosts out of a bucket into the night, as if it was liquid. I’ve never seen anything like that before.
I didn’t get the tossing snakes off the roof. They’d never survive that! &snakes don’t have anything to do with Halloween anyway. I could understand the tossing out spiders and bats. However, it made it look like they were responsible for adding those things into the world, which is weird.
The ‘Witches Estate Sub-Basement Costume Unit’ sign on the door made it sound like they’re a prop design house instead of their personal home. And I don’t think kids know what sub-basement means.
The human politician masks are too advanced for a kid book. & I didn’t like the costumes there. I liked 'The Scream' painting on the wall.
That’s cute to have a big and little witch door handle on the door.
I thought this was funny: “You might not believe this, but most witches are afraid of humans.” “Did she say…humans?” &the two witches were holding each other they were so scared.
The Frankenstein book holder on the bookshelf was so cute! I love clever details like this. &the Big Book of Humans book in the library that she reads. And the bat-winged chair backs.
Looking back, I just realized the drawer knobs are skulls.
I get her not being afraid of humans because humans are scared to fly, but I don’t understand her not being afraid because they don’t wear pointy hats or don’t cackle, and aren't green. Wouldn't that be a reason to be scared of them, because they're different? I wish this page had been more colorful, instead of the plain white background around the book.
I liked the view of the town, with the pond and houses below and fall colors.
I thought the ‘Here lies Frank N. Stein “one big dude” was clever for a gravestone, and also D. Racula. I like seeing clever gravestones. But I didn’t get the Joey Ramone, Addams, or Winslow Homer graves. Who is Joey Ramone, and is Addams supposed to be the Addams family?
It was weird for her to say “It’s time for this brave witch to take a closer look” about herself. I don’t like when characters talk about themselves like that. Other characters should do it. It’s like complimenting yourself.
Her cat is named Kitty which I thought was cute, because my cat is named Kitty!!
The page with the trick-or-treaters walking down their street was so quaint and cute, really capturing the spirit of Halloween night.
It was funny how she said “what’s that I hear those humans saying? “Trick a tree?” No one can trick a tree like me!’
So cute how the jackolantern seemed to be looking up in apprehension at her crashing after flying around the tree. Her face is so cute when the humans came up to her, and her cat after they landed on the ground. It was also adorable how the cat was crying in horror that the humans were talking to them. The little human girl dressed as a witch is so cute, too! Reminds me of me and my sister with the brown hair. The cat looked cute again when he was covering his mouth and looking sideways as the human girl talked to the witch.
I was wondering when she was actually going to speak to the humans! The girl kept talking and talking, and all there were from the witch were thought bubbles. When she did speak, I was like finally!
“Have I got a treat for you!” and the cat places it’s paw on the girl’s hands was a cute scene. It was sweet to offer her a ride on the broom, and make her wish come true.
It was sweet when the witch said some brave witches aren’t scared of humans and the girl said some brave humans aren’t scared of flying. It’s like they began to understand each other and empathize, and find similarities in each other.
I didn’t know the humans knew of witches, though. At first the trick-or-treaters thought she was in a costume, but she never announced herself as a real witch. And until she offered her a ride on the broom, nobody knew what she was. There should have been a moment when they realized she was a witch.
I can’t believe how this book ended. What is it with kids books? They just end with no warning! It’s like there’s a page limit they have to fulfill.
I thought she’d go trick-or-treating and discover Halloween. What was the point to the book?!
Since she offered her a ride on the broom, and a glimpse into her world, it would have been nice had the human offered the witch a glimpse into her life. I really thought the witch would be trick-or-treating. That would have been a nice addition to the book.
When I read the bios of the author and illustrator, I found out that the illustrator does comics for newspapers, which explains some comical/clever things in the book, like the politician's masks. However, that's more suited to adult comics and not a children's book. Also, the names on the gravestones reflects the comic strip sort of humor.
In the beginning I didn't understand the cover, and how the hats seem to be stuck together, and the cat is between them, but it made sense after because the girl on the right is the human girl. The cover seems to imply that the story is about them both, but the girl is just an addition towards the end.
The beginning really didn't make sense, or add anything to the rest of the story. It was disjointed. I really could have done without the dinosaur thing altogether. Since when are witches shapeshifters anyway?
Reading the description I was like aw, that sounds good. A cute stoy about a girl witch discovering Halloween.
On the first page, I was like oh no. A cat is walking a dinosaur. I think that’s all I need to say.
How could a witch hide behind the ‘keep out’ sign, which is hanging on a metal chain. Which means her body would show underneath it.
To further along the ridiculousness, the dinosaur turns into the little girl witch.
The newspaper talks of a human sighting in witch town, which was clever, because usually it would be the other way around.
I thought it was clever and very unique to have the witches pour ghosts out of a bucket into the night, as if it was liquid. I’ve never seen anything like that before.
I didn’t get the tossing snakes off the roof. They’d never survive that! &snakes don’t have anything to do with Halloween anyway. I could understand the tossing out spiders and bats. However, it made it look like they were responsible for adding those things into the world, which is weird.
The ‘Witches Estate Sub-Basement Costume Unit’ sign on the door made it sound like they’re a prop design house instead of their personal home. And I don’t think kids know what sub-basement means.
The human politician masks are too advanced for a kid book. & I didn’t like the costumes there. I liked 'The Scream' painting on the wall.
That’s cute to have a big and little witch door handle on the door.
I thought this was funny: “You might not believe this, but most witches are afraid of humans.” “Did she say…humans?” &the two witches were holding each other they were so scared.
The Frankenstein book holder on the bookshelf was so cute! I love clever details like this. &the Big Book of Humans book in the library that she reads. And the bat-winged chair backs.
Looking back, I just realized the drawer knobs are skulls.
I get her not being afraid of humans because humans are scared to fly, but I don’t understand her not being afraid because they don’t wear pointy hats or don’t cackle, and aren't green. Wouldn't that be a reason to be scared of them, because they're different? I wish this page had been more colorful, instead of the plain white background around the book.
I liked the view of the town, with the pond and houses below and fall colors.
I thought the ‘Here lies Frank N. Stein “one big dude” was clever for a gravestone, and also D. Racula. I like seeing clever gravestones. But I didn’t get the Joey Ramone, Addams, or Winslow Homer graves. Who is Joey Ramone, and is Addams supposed to be the Addams family?
It was weird for her to say “It’s time for this brave witch to take a closer look” about herself. I don’t like when characters talk about themselves like that. Other characters should do it. It’s like complimenting yourself.
Her cat is named Kitty which I thought was cute, because my cat is named Kitty!!
The page with the trick-or-treaters walking down their street was so quaint and cute, really capturing the spirit of Halloween night.
It was funny how she said “what’s that I hear those humans saying? “Trick a tree?” No one can trick a tree like me!’
So cute how the jackolantern seemed to be looking up in apprehension at her crashing after flying around the tree. Her face is so cute when the humans came up to her, and her cat after they landed on the ground. It was also adorable how the cat was crying in horror that the humans were talking to them. The little human girl dressed as a witch is so cute, too! Reminds me of me and my sister with the brown hair. The cat looked cute again when he was covering his mouth and looking sideways as the human girl talked to the witch.
I was wondering when she was actually going to speak to the humans! The girl kept talking and talking, and all there were from the witch were thought bubbles. When she did speak, I was like finally!
“Have I got a treat for you!” and the cat places it’s paw on the girl’s hands was a cute scene. It was sweet to offer her a ride on the broom, and make her wish come true.
It was sweet when the witch said some brave witches aren’t scared of humans and the girl said some brave humans aren’t scared of flying. It’s like they began to understand each other and empathize, and find similarities in each other.
I didn’t know the humans knew of witches, though. At first the trick-or-treaters thought she was in a costume, but she never announced herself as a real witch. And until she offered her a ride on the broom, nobody knew what she was. There should have been a moment when they realized she was a witch.
I can’t believe how this book ended. What is it with kids books? They just end with no warning! It’s like there’s a page limit they have to fulfill.
I thought she’d go trick-or-treating and discover Halloween. What was the point to the book?!
Since she offered her a ride on the broom, and a glimpse into her world, it would have been nice had the human offered the witch a glimpse into her life. I really thought the witch would be trick-or-treating. That would have been a nice addition to the book.
When I read the bios of the author and illustrator, I found out that the illustrator does comics for newspapers, which explains some comical/clever things in the book, like the politician's masks. However, that's more suited to adult comics and not a children's book. Also, the names on the gravestones reflects the comic strip sort of humor.
In the beginning I didn't understand the cover, and how the hats seem to be stuck together, and the cat is between them, but it made sense after because the girl on the right is the human girl. The cover seems to imply that the story is about them both, but the girl is just an addition towards the end.
The beginning really didn't make sense, or add anything to the rest of the story. It was disjointed. I really could have done without the dinosaur thing altogether. Since when are witches shapeshifters anyway?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2018
"You might not believe this, but most witches are afraid of humans," proclaims the young narrator of Alison McGhee's A Very Brave Witch. After all, humans are (by all accounts) afraid to fly, never wear pointy hats, don't like to cackle, and worst of all, aren't green-skinned! Luckily, one little witch decides to investigate these strange beings for herself, making her first human friend on Halloween night...
Originally published in 2006, and just reprinted this year (2009) in this cute miniature format, A Very Brave Witch features a simple, straightforward text (mostly in speech bubbles), and appealing illustrations. An ideal Halloween selection for beginning readers!
Originally published in 2006, and just reprinted this year (2009) in this cute miniature format, A Very Brave Witch features a simple, straightforward text (mostly in speech bubbles), and appealing illustrations. An ideal Halloween selection for beginning readers!
May 30, 2019
A curious young witch flies to town to investigate the human holiday called Halloween. When she comes face-to-face with a human for the first time, both the witch and the human must overcome the prejudices they have been taught. A sweet story, but the resolution comes about too quickly, even for a picture book. The illustrations add much entertainment value and humor.
October 31, 2021
This is like a story I would tell at bedtime. Basically no plot.
September 16, 2010
This is our first Halloween book this year from the display at the library. We read it to Natalie at bedtime. She liked the illustrations and watched as I read to her and Mike finished getting her dressed. The length of the story was good for bed time. I thought the story was just okay. It was definitely teaching about tolerance, but it seemed to highlight the fear associated with differences more than I would have liked. To me, it sent confusing messages about stereotypes versus true acceptance. Taken just at face value, it was kind of fun to see the witches afraid. I also just didn't agree that witches aren't human, which was a fundamental part to the story and as a horror movie lover I just couldn't come to terms with that idea.
May 13, 2015
The book was a short read with nice pictures, but, it was lacking in the plot department. The story is about a young witch that doesn't buy into the hype that humans are scary, so one Halloween, she comes down to the town and interacts with children. Striking an immediate friendship with a human girl and exposing her witchy powers. The story felt too rushed and lacked anything meaty to give it substance.
Rating 3 out of 5
Read@Book
Rating 3 out of 5
Read@Book
October 27, 2010
A little witch, accompanied by her orange tabby cat, defied witch conventions and refuses to be scared of humans even though they don't have green skin, are afraid to fly, don't wear pointy hats, and can't cackle. Then while trying to get a closer look on Halloween, she crashes her broom and makes her first human friend.
Sweet birghtly colored illustrations with simple text.
Sweet birghtly colored illustrations with simple text.
October 8, 2017
I can't explain it, but I love books that show a monster's/witch's world from their point of view. This book starts out like a cuter version of Halloweentown and that never fails to go well when I'm the one reading! I also love stories about overcoming your biases and getting to know people instead of stereotyping. This book has both and cute art to boot!
November 13, 2014
I liked this book, because it teaches children that despite their differences (and fears), if they just reach out, they may find a friend. Very useful concept in our modern age.
October 23, 2016
Review to come
November 3, 2020
Cute. The best bits are in the illustrations.
August 24, 2024
Hey guys, I read this book when I was little. I finally got to it again this year. I didn’t have Goodreads but back then so
September 11, 2019
A very witchy Halloween picture book; short, funny, and entertaining.
Still...you should be afraid, very afraid of
Still...you should be afraid, very afraid of
October 30, 2016
0.5 so I don't give it a 0.
The inside cover of the book, with the images of the tombstones, was a complete miss. The illustrator obviously doesn’t understand how the witty tombstones work. The only good ones were “Back in 5 mins” and “RIP…or not” and “Rest in pieces” and “Here lies worms and dirt.” Otherwise, they were really lame. “Your ad here,” and “How’s my afterlife? 1-800-555-0111.” Could they at least have come up with numbers that mean something? “Here lies S. Keleton.” “Here lies D. Racula.” “Here lies G. Hastly.” The object is not to take the first letter out of a word and made it an initial, with the rest of the entire word the last name. That’s so wrong. You’re supposed to take two words that could be names and make them a funny phrase, like Ima Gonner. If you say G. Hastly, what have you said? Simply the letter “g” followed by “hastly” which doesn’t even sound like ghastly anymore. So stupid.
I presume the cat walking the dinosaur on a leash was supposed to be cute, but I just found it bizarre. Then all of a sudden the dinosaur turns into a witch, which just makes things even weirder. The witch seemed to be pointing straight at the reader when asking what do YOU think is her favorite holiday, which was weird. I’ve never had a book direction a question at me like that, with the character pointing out at me.
The witch and the cat take off on her broom, and witches are pouring ghosts out of a bucket labeled ghosts and snakes out of a bucket labeled snakes. Very strange. I liked that Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream was included in the witch’s house. I didn't like the costumes hanging up in their house at all. An ugly alien, a weird-looking Frankenstein, a gorilla, and just bizarre-looking creatures that I couldn't even identify. One face mask had orange hair and a mouth sewn shut, not appropriate for children at all. Another was a blueish tinged face of a woman with black hair who I have no idea was supposed to be. A man in a suit with one eye shut and the other looking like a glass eye and things that just couldn't be identified. Very creepy and so wrong for children. Kids would be afraid of those, not love them. And the sign on the door, "Witches' estate sub-basement costume unit" was way too much. What are people thinking to use these big words in a kids book? They're going to have no idea what that is, and they definitely wouldn't be able to pronounce it. And the politicians masks on the shelf, again, are not suited for kids. What kid would want to dress as a president's face?
The witch lists what she knows about humans, and it’s just more stupidity. Humans are afraid to fly; they don’t wear pointy hats, and they don’t cackle, and they’re not green. She flies to the human world, where she thinks they’re saying “trick a tree” so she shows how well she can trick a tree, and ends up hitting it and her and the cat go flying into the ground. I thought she had read lots and lots about Halloween, so wouldn't she have known the most common line people say on Halloween? And another thing I didn't understand. She had never experienced Halloween in her entire life, yet all of a sudden she goes out this year. Why wouldn't she have gone out sooner? Why this year? There needed to be a reason as to why she could do these things now, and why she couldn't before.
3 trick or treaters find her and she’s shocked at first, but the human girl says she’s wanted to fly and so the witch, who doesn’t even have a name, takes her for a ride on her broom, coming to the realization that witches can be brave and not afraid of humans, and humans can be brave and not afraid of witches. Then it’s a Happy Halloween as the whole story is wrapped up. I couldn’t believe it ended like that. I expected the witch to learn all about trick or treating, at least enough to know that they were saying “trick or treat” and not trick a tree. It was just so stupid. The summary was so misleading. She doesn’t participate in Halloween at all. She doesn’t learn anything about Halloween whatsoever. All she does is fly a girl on her broomstick. What kind of a story is this?
The inside cover of the book, with the images of the tombstones, was a complete miss. The illustrator obviously doesn’t understand how the witty tombstones work. The only good ones were “Back in 5 mins” and “RIP…or not” and “Rest in pieces” and “Here lies worms and dirt.” Otherwise, they were really lame. “Your ad here,” and “How’s my afterlife? 1-800-555-0111.” Could they at least have come up with numbers that mean something? “Here lies S. Keleton.” “Here lies D. Racula.” “Here lies G. Hastly.” The object is not to take the first letter out of a word and made it an initial, with the rest of the entire word the last name. That’s so wrong. You’re supposed to take two words that could be names and make them a funny phrase, like Ima Gonner. If you say G. Hastly, what have you said? Simply the letter “g” followed by “hastly” which doesn’t even sound like ghastly anymore. So stupid.
I presume the cat walking the dinosaur on a leash was supposed to be cute, but I just found it bizarre. Then all of a sudden the dinosaur turns into a witch, which just makes things even weirder. The witch seemed to be pointing straight at the reader when asking what do YOU think is her favorite holiday, which was weird. I’ve never had a book direction a question at me like that, with the character pointing out at me.
The witch and the cat take off on her broom, and witches are pouring ghosts out of a bucket labeled ghosts and snakes out of a bucket labeled snakes. Very strange. I liked that Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream was included in the witch’s house. I didn't like the costumes hanging up in their house at all. An ugly alien, a weird-looking Frankenstein, a gorilla, and just bizarre-looking creatures that I couldn't even identify. One face mask had orange hair and a mouth sewn shut, not appropriate for children at all. Another was a blueish tinged face of a woman with black hair who I have no idea was supposed to be. A man in a suit with one eye shut and the other looking like a glass eye and things that just couldn't be identified. Very creepy and so wrong for children. Kids would be afraid of those, not love them. And the sign on the door, "Witches' estate sub-basement costume unit" was way too much. What are people thinking to use these big words in a kids book? They're going to have no idea what that is, and they definitely wouldn't be able to pronounce it. And the politicians masks on the shelf, again, are not suited for kids. What kid would want to dress as a president's face?
The witch lists what she knows about humans, and it’s just more stupidity. Humans are afraid to fly; they don’t wear pointy hats, and they don’t cackle, and they’re not green. She flies to the human world, where she thinks they’re saying “trick a tree” so she shows how well she can trick a tree, and ends up hitting it and her and the cat go flying into the ground. I thought she had read lots and lots about Halloween, so wouldn't she have known the most common line people say on Halloween? And another thing I didn't understand. She had never experienced Halloween in her entire life, yet all of a sudden she goes out this year. Why wouldn't she have gone out sooner? Why this year? There needed to be a reason as to why she could do these things now, and why she couldn't before.
3 trick or treaters find her and she’s shocked at first, but the human girl says she’s wanted to fly and so the witch, who doesn’t even have a name, takes her for a ride on her broom, coming to the realization that witches can be brave and not afraid of humans, and humans can be brave and not afraid of witches. Then it’s a Happy Halloween as the whole story is wrapped up. I couldn’t believe it ended like that. I expected the witch to learn all about trick or treating, at least enough to know that they were saying “trick or treat” and not trick a tree. It was just so stupid. The summary was so misleading. She doesn’t participate in Halloween at all. She doesn’t learn anything about Halloween whatsoever. All she does is fly a girl on her broomstick. What kind of a story is this?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2018
A really liked reading this, this week. I wasn't a huge fan, but she thought they were funny and cute.
September 21, 2018
The story is sweet and simple, but the best part of this one is all the extras you see if you pay attention to the illustrations!
October 12, 2018
I like this book because most people are not afraid to fly on witches' brooms because everyone likes flying on witches' brooms. So the witch talks about green, like, in the whole story because she likes talking about the green, I guess. And she has a newspaper on one of the pages.
April 10, 2018
This story is told from the perspective of a witch on a Halloween day. This young witch lives far from town in a dark scary house with a "keep put" sign chained across the entrance. Halloween is her favorite holiday and this year, she wants to investigate the human community. She grew up being told that humans were scary because they weren't like them - green. So, she took her broom stick and rode down into town to see it for herself. While her ride takes a turn for the worse, the young and brave witch falls off onto the ground and is surrounded by human children! To find out what happens you must read this story. I thought this was a great story, and I liked that it was told in the perspective of the witches. I think this would be not only a fun story to tell around Halloween, but it also sends the message that you cannot judge a book by its cover, or you cannot judge someone on the rumors spread by others. The young witch was told rumors of the humans but went to investigate for herself and found that the rumors were just that- rumors.
June 28, 2016
A little witch does some research and decides to venture out and see what humans are really like. The older witches are afraid of humans, because they don't have green skin like they do! But the little witch discovers that humans can come on fun adventures, too, when she meets a little girl who wants to fly.
The writing is simple and fun. Smaller messages and bits of fun text are found throughout the book, so more accomplished readers can explore a little more. It was a cute story and the artwork is fun and creative. A good choice for Halloween or any time. My girls found our copy at the local thrift store.
The writing is simple and fun. Smaller messages and bits of fun text are found throughout the book, so more accomplished readers can explore a little more. It was a cute story and the artwork is fun and creative. A good choice for Halloween or any time. My girls found our copy at the local thrift store.
March 19, 2011
I really like the story, "A Very Brave Witch." I would use this book to introduce a lesson on different ways that writers write. The story is written in thought and word bubbles. As a lesson, I would have students listen to the story and then after discussing the reasons why the author might have written this way, the students would write their own story using word bubbles. Students will enjoy this book because it is funny and easy to read. An obvious choice as well would be to read this story during Halloween.
October 26, 2019
Very disappointing for a McGhee/Bliss project. Yikes, this witch is brave because she is not as afraid of humans as she is supposed to be. One of the reasons given for being afraid of humans is, "Humans aren't green like us." What!? And even worse, after the other reasons are given (fear of flying, no pointy hats, etc.), the brave witch says, "Nothing too bad, except, you know... the green thing." C'mon, surely a different reason, other than skin color, could have been used for a witch-meets-humans story. Shame.
September 23, 2012
A Very Brave Witch is a wonderful Halloween tale. The witch in the story explains how witches are afraid of humans, but really humans are scared of witches. This story teaches a lesson on how feelings may seem mutual, but once you step outside your box; everything isn't as it seems. This would be great for read alouds because the author sets up questions within the story that prompts the audience to wonder.
July 23, 2013
PERFECT for Halloween.
One little witch lives on the outside of town, and her favorite human holiday is Halloween. She has heard lots and lots about it, but has never experienced it for herself. Until one very special Halloween...
I love the author, Alison McGhee, and the illustrator, Harry Bliss!
One little witch lives on the outside of town, and her favorite human holiday is Halloween. She has heard lots and lots about it, but has never experienced it for herself. Until one very special Halloween...
I love the author, Alison McGhee, and the illustrator, Harry Bliss!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews