Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Sweetest Witch Around
Illustrator: Harry Bliss
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Simon and Schuster, 2014 ISBN: 978-1442478336
For centuries humans have been afraid of witches, for obvious reasons. What most humans don’t know is that witches are afraid of humans as well. They are even afraid of the word “human.” However, there is one young witch who is brave, and she is not intimidated by humans at all. She has quite given up trying to help the adult witches get over their phobia of humans, but is hopeful that her little sister, Witchling, will be open to learning things that most witches don’t learn, especially when it comes to understanding humans.
Being a dedicated big sister the brave little witch sets about teaching Witchling about human Halloween costumes, their fondness for pumpkins, and their weakness for “something disgusting that they call candy.” Witches can’t stand candy, or at least they are not supposed to. Little Witchling tries a piece of candy and she loves the stuff. In fact she loves candy so much that Witchling (who has not had any flying lessons yet) gets on a broom and flies off to find some more candy.
Witchling’s big sister, and her cat friend Kitty, manage to get on the broom at the last minute and soon the trio are flying through the night sky towards a human town. Below them they see human children dressed up in costumes tick-or-treating on Halloween night. Witchling sees the candy and she makes a beeline for it, leaving her sister and Kitty high and dry in a tree.
It would seem that bravery runs in little witch’s family. Her little sister is fearless and when Witchling discovers the joys of eating candy, she will not be denied. Children are going to love seeing the world through a young witch’s eyes, and will appreciate the way in which the little candy-loving witch learns very quickly what how trick-or-treating works.
