While waiting around for my daughter’s pottery class to finish one Saturday afternoon, I dropped in to one of my favorite used book stores in Winnipeg called Nerman’s. Their basement is chock full of children’s books and to my delight, I discovered an Eva Ibbotson title, Not Just a Witch (Macmillan, 1989. Illustrated by Alice Englander.) When I showed it to my daughter, a self-proclaimed Ibbotson fan, she was delighted.
With her characteristic offbeat humor, Ibbotson introduces us to another wacky world of witches and mythical creatures that don’t quite fit the stereotype. The story begins with two witch friends, Dora and Heckie who, on their graduation from their witch academy, have a falling out over the fact they have unwittingly chosen the same hat (one with serpents, of course) for their graduation party. The two part company and the story then follows the adventures of Heckie as she settles in a small town called Wellbridge.
We’re not all the way through the book yet, but my daughter insists upon being read from Not Just a Witch every night and I am enjoying this one as much as I have the other Ibbotson titles I’ve read with her. (See my other PT posts on Ibbotson here and here.) Do you have a favorite author whose books you and your child enjoy reading together? Do tell!