6/4/2023 0 Comments Book about tiny witch![]() ![]() What she doesn’t see is the approaching snow storm, and the return of an old friend. Finally, in the winter story “The Blizzard” we see Little Witch Hazel making her rounds in the forest. The autumn story “The Haunted Stump” sets up an appropriately spooky tale, when everyone hears unearthly moans emanating from a nearby stump. ![]() and a million friends determined to help her enjoy the day. But what happens when wild things grow too big for houses? In the summer story “The Lazy Day”, Little Witch Hazel has a million things to do. After taking the egg home it soon becomes a fuzzy little baby owl and she promptly names him Otis. In the spring story “The Orphaned Egg”, Little Witch Hazel discovers just that. Did I mention that it’s also excellent? I feel like that should factor in.įour seasons. It’s just also smart, sassy, upsets the gender normies, is pro-breastfeeding in public, has a heroine that doesn’t shave her legs, is body positive, portrays the differently abled. Anyone might write it off as a sweet looking bedtime book. There is nothing about the outward appearance of Little Witch Hazel to suggest that it is in any way subversive. Maybe that’s why I get so excited when I come across something that looks innocuous, and then sneaks up on the reader in unexpected ways. Everything gets churned through the same corporate press, rendering them relatively flat and samey. Sometimes I get worried that they’re not allowed to be surprising anymore. Whether it was the horror of Slugs by David Greenberg and Victoria Chess, the unapologetic nudity of Maurice Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen, or the surprise ending awaiting you in books like Zeralda’s Ogre by Tomi Ungerer, books for children that upset expectations are what keep our shelves interesting. There was a time when children’s books, particularly picture books, could go a little wild and adults were the ones left shocked. At least not when we talk about books for kids. I don’t think anyone really understands what “subversive” means anymore. ![]()
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