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The Friendly Witch
It was the Friendly Witch's birthday, but she didn't have any cards, presents or even any visitors! So, the Friendly Witch decides to throw a birthday party. The guests, including Goldilocks, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, all arrive... but it's not long before they are getting somewhat out of control. Maybe it's time for some "friendly" magic!!!
28 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 2005
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 7, 2019
The Friendly Witch is a largish picture book for young children. It is an engaging story which is fun to read, and quite clever with its references. It begins:
“It was very quiet in the forest. Today was the friendly witch’s birthday (she wouldn’t say how old she was). But she didn’t have any cards. She didn’t have any presents. She didn’t even have any visitors.”
Seated at a kitchen table is everybody’s idea of a traditional story-book witch: as ugly as can be, complete with a warty nose. She has a very glum expression on her face, as she pours herself out a brew, and prepares to eat her beans on toast. There are lots of delightful details in the cartoon-style picture; a black cat popping out from behind her pointed hat, a frog atop a pile of books of spells, gleefully catching a fly with his long tongue, cobwebs and a broomstick in the corner. Plenty to discuss with any alert child.
The friendly witch soon decides to cheer herself up, by casting a spell so that she will soon have lots of visitors. A happy expressions transforms her ugly face, her two teeth, (one top, one bottom) clearly now revealed with her joyful smile. Again we see all the amusing details in the scene; her potions in various flasks and phials, her cauldron bubbling away, a precious framed portrait of someone - presumably her mother (who is even uglier than she, if that can be imagined), the back cat, spiders and so on.
Suddenly there is a loud knock on the door.“ The spell has worked!
Over the next few pages we see all the visitors tumble into the friendly witch’s small kitchen. Almost everyone you can imagine from nursery rhymes and story books seems to be there: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Goosey Goosey Gander, Three Little Pigs, Beauty and the Beast, who arrive hand-in-hand, Humpty Dumpty, Miss Muffet and the Spider and many more. Each refers to their story, in a way which will delight those children who already know the tale or rhyme, and provide an opportunity to teach the rhyme, or tell the story, to others. All the comments are connected, in a jokey and upbeat way, such as when Miss Muffet screams in terror at the spider, and the friendly witch says how much she likes spiders because “they catch the flies”, the Old Lady then whispers “I swallowed a fly once … long story” in the friendly witch’s ear. What a hullabaloo! Its gets louder and louder, and then Aladdin arrives, looking set to rub his lamp. The witch is very alarmed. He mustn’t run the lamp as it is already so crowded and certainly there is no more room for a genie!
Too late. The genie arrives, with lots more story books characters in his wake: Rumpelstiltskin, the Pied Piper, Little Red Riding Hood, and a host of others. The friendly witch is beside herself with all the cacophony.
“I wish they would all leave me alone!” she yells.
“Shazam!” The spell is emblazoned across the next two pages, in a splash of brilliant colour. And sure enough, the next turn of the page reveals silence. The genie of the lamp has worked his own magic.
Is the witch happy to be alone again? Well, what do you think?
The next page turn reveals the kitchen scene again, similar to how it was at the beginning, with the friendly witch looking decidedly down in the dumps.
She didn’t have any music.
She didn’t have any dancing.
She didn’t even have any visitors.“
So she sighed … and she wondered … and she wished again. And you can write the end of the story for yourself.
The author of this entertaining and clever tale is Rachel Elliot, who has written over 150 books for children. Her first book was published in 2004, and The Friendly Witch was first published just a year later, in 2005.
The illustrator for this edition is Leo Broadley. His line and wash pictures, with bright yellows and purples slightly predominating, are full of life and humour. They match the text perfectly, and provide much extra amusement. Even the font used is quietly quirky, with letters which are not quite straight, key phrases printed in bold, and the jokes (in parentheses) printed in smaller text, as a sort of “aside”. When he is not illustrating, Leo Broadley lectures in Graphic Design, Illustration and Animation to University students.
It is a lovely book to share, as the story book characters lend themselves to lots of chat, and add interest for both reader and listener. Also, of course, there is an underlying message. It is nice to be alone, and self-sufficient, but even better to sometimes have other people around too. Because of the references, it would probably be suitable for children up to about seven years of age.
This copy (and a dressing-up witch’s costume top) will go to my little cousin, who is just four and has started “Big School”. I think it will be perfect for Hallowe’en.
“It was very quiet in the forest. Today was the friendly witch’s birthday (she wouldn’t say how old she was). But she didn’t have any cards. She didn’t have any presents. She didn’t even have any visitors.”
Seated at a kitchen table is everybody’s idea of a traditional story-book witch: as ugly as can be, complete with a warty nose. She has a very glum expression on her face, as she pours herself out a brew, and prepares to eat her beans on toast. There are lots of delightful details in the cartoon-style picture; a black cat popping out from behind her pointed hat, a frog atop a pile of books of spells, gleefully catching a fly with his long tongue, cobwebs and a broomstick in the corner. Plenty to discuss with any alert child.
The friendly witch soon decides to cheer herself up, by casting a spell so that she will soon have lots of visitors. A happy expressions transforms her ugly face, her two teeth, (one top, one bottom) clearly now revealed with her joyful smile. Again we see all the amusing details in the scene; her potions in various flasks and phials, her cauldron bubbling away, a precious framed portrait of someone - presumably her mother (who is even uglier than she, if that can be imagined), the back cat, spiders and so on.
Suddenly there is a loud knock on the door.“ The spell has worked!
Over the next few pages we see all the visitors tumble into the friendly witch’s small kitchen. Almost everyone you can imagine from nursery rhymes and story books seems to be there: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Goosey Goosey Gander, Three Little Pigs, Beauty and the Beast, who arrive hand-in-hand, Humpty Dumpty, Miss Muffet and the Spider and many more. Each refers to their story, in a way which will delight those children who already know the tale or rhyme, and provide an opportunity to teach the rhyme, or tell the story, to others. All the comments are connected, in a jokey and upbeat way, such as when Miss Muffet screams in terror at the spider, and the friendly witch says how much she likes spiders because “they catch the flies”, the Old Lady then whispers “I swallowed a fly once … long story” in the friendly witch’s ear. What a hullabaloo! Its gets louder and louder, and then Aladdin arrives, looking set to rub his lamp. The witch is very alarmed. He mustn’t run the lamp as it is already so crowded and certainly there is no more room for a genie!
Too late. The genie arrives, with lots more story books characters in his wake: Rumpelstiltskin, the Pied Piper, Little Red Riding Hood, and a host of others. The friendly witch is beside herself with all the cacophony.
“I wish they would all leave me alone!” she yells.
“Shazam!” The spell is emblazoned across the next two pages, in a splash of brilliant colour. And sure enough, the next turn of the page reveals silence. The genie of the lamp has worked his own magic.
Is the witch happy to be alone again? Well, what do you think?
The next page turn reveals the kitchen scene again, similar to how it was at the beginning, with the friendly witch looking decidedly down in the dumps.
She didn’t have any music.
She didn’t have any dancing.
She didn’t even have any visitors.“
So she sighed … and she wondered … and she wished again. And you can write the end of the story for yourself.
The author of this entertaining and clever tale is Rachel Elliot, who has written over 150 books for children. Her first book was published in 2004, and The Friendly Witch was first published just a year later, in 2005.
The illustrator for this edition is Leo Broadley. His line and wash pictures, with bright yellows and purples slightly predominating, are full of life and humour. They match the text perfectly, and provide much extra amusement. Even the font used is quietly quirky, with letters which are not quite straight, key phrases printed in bold, and the jokes (in parentheses) printed in smaller text, as a sort of “aside”. When he is not illustrating, Leo Broadley lectures in Graphic Design, Illustration and Animation to University students.
It is a lovely book to share, as the story book characters lend themselves to lots of chat, and add interest for both reader and listener. Also, of course, there is an underlying message. It is nice to be alone, and self-sufficient, but even better to sometimes have other people around too. Because of the references, it would probably be suitable for children up to about seven years of age.
This copy (and a dressing-up witch’s costume top) will go to my little cousin, who is just four and has started “Big School”. I think it will be perfect for Hallowe’en.
August 12, 2019
The Friendly Witch, upset that she had received no cards, presents, or visitors for her birthday, decided to throw herself a party, and soon found her house packed to the rafters with every imaginable fairy-tale creature. From Beauty and the Beast, who arrived hand-in-hand, to the lamp-rubbing Aladdin, an amazing panoply of guests had soon arrived, leaving the witch with no time to think, and no peace and quiet in which to do it. And then: Shazam! She decided she'd had enough of this partying business. Or had she...?
An engaging enough tale, one with immensely appealing illustrations by Leo Broadley, The Friendly Witch might not be the cream of the crop, when it comes to witchy adventures (really, what could ever top Dorrie the Little Witch ?), but it is still worth tracking down, for fans of this sort of thing. Although a tad indecisive, the Friendly Witch is an endearing heroine, and her party will amuse young readers who are fairy-tale fans, and able to pick out all the various characters.
An engaging enough tale, one with immensely appealing illustrations by Leo Broadley, The Friendly Witch might not be the cream of the crop, when it comes to witchy adventures (really, what could ever top Dorrie the Little Witch ?), but it is still worth tracking down, for fans of this sort of thing. Although a tad indecisive, the Friendly Witch is an endearing heroine, and her party will amuse young readers who are fairy-tale fans, and able to pick out all the various characters.
September 16, 2011
A witchy tale of a friendly witch who was having a birthday - but had no visitors to help celebrate. So she cast a spell for herself and Shazam half of nursery tale kingdom galloped into her cottage.
Kids will laugh at their favourite nursery rhyme characters turning up to add to the chaos - goldilocks, bears, pigs, aladdin, beauty and the beast ......
Kids will laugh at their favourite nursery rhyme characters turning up to add to the chaos - goldilocks, bears, pigs, aladdin, beauty and the beast ......
November 17, 2015
Very cute. The illustrations are fun and the story is easy for kids to follow. I loved the Old Lady who said "long story" when talking about the fly. The moral is be careful what you wish for.... and unwish for.
March 11, 2019
I absolutely loved the illustrations on this book. Will definitely read it again.
March 11, 2019
Read this so many times to my daughter when she was tiny and obsessed with all things spooky, especially witches. Gorgeous illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews