Which Witch Is Which?

by Pat Hutchins

"When identical twins Ella and Emily are invited to a Halloween party, they decide to dress as witches. As the party progresses, readers will have fun deciding 'which witch is which'....Hutchins exhibits mastery of combining concept, mental stimulation, and visual interest to crate a well-integrated, entertaining book."--School Library Journal.

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Childrens, Fiction

24 pages, Hardcover

First published October 23, 1989

About the author

Pat Hutchins is an English illustrator and writer of children's books.

She won the 1974 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. The work was The Wind Blew, a picture book in rhyme which she also wrote. It shows how "a crowd of people anxiously chase their belongings" in the wind.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Identical twins go to a party dressed as identical witches. Use your amateur detective skills to determine which witch is which? (Hint - Ella likes pink, Emily blue.) No real story here; just guessing fun.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twin sisters Ella and Emily, both dressed up as witches, attend a costumed birthday-party in this simple concept book from Pat Hutchins, the English author/artist behind such picture-book classics as Rosie's Walk and The Wind Blew , for which she was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal, in 1974. Informing the reader that Ella loves the color pink, and Emily the color blue, the narrator then presents her with a number of scenes, each containing a visual clue - different colored hair-bows, different ice-cream choices - and continually asks: "which witch is which?"

One of a number of stories that plays with the witch/which homophones - see also: Eva Ibbotson's middle-grade fantasy, Which Witch? ; Judi Barrett's puzzle picture-book, Which Witch is Which? ; Poly Bernatene's recent Which Witch's Wand Works? - this simple picture-book will appeal to younger children who enjoy more interactive titles. Following each set of clues, the reader/listener can guess which witch is Ella, and which Emily. The artwork, although a little flat at times, is cute, and adds to the sense of fun. Although witchy in theme (the reason I requested it at my library), Which Witch Is Which really isn't a Halloween book, in any sense, so I'd recommend it primarily as a concept-book: a fun way to introduce the idea of homophones, and to build pattern recognition in younger children.

[Shiloah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and interactive. This was read by our Meredith (14) at family read aloud.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was little my Grandpa used to read this book to me. I remember him sitting in the couch with me and reading it together. Somehow one time someone got a photo of him and I reading it, and very soon after that photo was taken he was diagnosed with cancer and died only a few months later. I don’t know if he ever read it to me again, I can’t remember. But this book is now part of one of my only and most precious memories of him. So thank you to the author, for helping shape a wonderful memory.

[IvyInThePages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 leaves out of 5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book as a child, it was just fun.

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharing this lovely little book with my Kinders. They get a kick out of identifying which witch based on color preference and they have done really well! (Also, no issues with Halloween since the story depicts kids at a birthday costume party.) Fun for K and possibly young 1st grade.

[Josh Sonii · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about twins on halloween that are dressed as witches. The story starts of with them both at a halloween party with many other children. It tells you how Ella likes pink and Emma likes blue which helps you determine who is who. After telling you a fact about each of the twins it continues to ask you which witch is which? Then you have to use you skills to determine who is who. Will her friends be able to tell which witch is which or will they forever be mixed up?

This is a great way to help children determine the difference between which and witch. I know when I was learning to write I would always get them mixed up. This book uses it in an easy way to familiarize children with the term. It also makes children focus because there is a lot of interaction in the book. They use colors to tell them apart and sometimes they even use the choices they make. For example one twins chose strawberry ice cream over vanilla so you have to use your context clues to tell them apart. It makes the book enjoyable because it is like they are playing a game instead of just being read a story.

The illustration in this book are very simple and a little plain on some pages. This helps the children notice the difference so they can tell which witch is which. If the background was too colorful it would be hard to determine which witch is which. The one thing that I thought was weird was that the ground is green. It looks like the same color as grass but the are obviously inside. I also noticed that when they go to eat the ground is checkered. Overall this story teaches a great lesson and is very entertaining. It also has a great amount of interaction throughout the story which makes it very entertaining.

[Kianna Buckner · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Which Witch Is Which" by Pat Hutchins was a good book. There are twin girls who dress up as witches on Halloween. The one twin likes blue and one twin likes pink which is stated in the beginning of the story. There friends have are trying to figure out which witch is who when they are doing their Halloween activities.

The author did a good job with the story. The story kind of tricked me because I was confused trying to figure out which twin was who. I think it is good book to read to kids to get their minds going. Also for the teacher to see who is paying attention because if they pay attention to the story in the beginning they will be able to know the difference with the twins.

The illustrations were very simple and straight forward. I love the colors of the book and illustrations. It was very colorful for it to be during Halloween because usually the colors would be orange and black in other books.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those not-a-Mama-favorite books that Charlotte really likes. It is short, it involves children dressed as witches, and that's about all that Charlotte requires. It is a little bit cute, though, for all that I'm weary of it. The witches are twin girls named Emily and Ella, and you are given hints in the text to guess which witch is which in the pages. Charlotte does like guessing which witch is which, and the illustrations are lovely, so I put up with it. It is, after all, a library book.

[Kristin Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ella and Emily are twins who like a lot of the same things. Ella likes pink and Emily likes blue. Can you determine which witch is which? I feel that the students will get a kick out of this book. They would love it on Halloween, I would even say use it as a game for a Halloween party.

I would love to use this book in my classroom. It would be fun to use in a party or just to read during Halloween time. Definitely a fun read and I think the students will enjoy it!

[Kristin Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a cute book. The reader needs to remember how the twins are identified in the beginning of the book to determine throughout the book which witch is which. The story reads like a poem. I can see my future students in the younger grades reading this book as a part of individual reading time.

[Candice Call · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great to use to help develop problem solving skills and to help children learn to pay close attention to small details. It is fun to try to figure out which girl it witch at the halloween party throughout the book.

[Zinnia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good for children 3 and above because it helps distinguish who is who. This can be a guide of learning left to right, colors, and other learning developments but for younger kids this is not that great.

[9hannahd]

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book which I remember checking out of the library many times as a child. For some reason I found it really entertaining. I'm sure if I picked it up today I would still be highly amused.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great problem-solving book. Every couple of pages has a little mystery to solve to decode which twin is which. Very clever.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for nostalgic reasons. And it's fun.

[Elisa Pereyra-Molina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is a book that will engage children as the put on their investigator badge to decide 'which witch is which' in this picture book.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Use clues to figure out which witch is Ella and which one is Emily.