Poly Bernatene

Witch sisters Rattle and Ricket return, along with their cat Rum, in this sequel to Poly Bernatene's Which Witch's Wand Works?. Deciding that they need a break, after all their potion-brewing toil, Rattle and Ricket head out to the Wailing Waters holiday resort, leaving Rum behind when he proves stubborn, and will not allow himself to be caught. Promptly getting himself into trouble, by joining a passing circus, the acrobatic Rum ends up the star attraction, and a prisoner of the nasty show more ringleader. Naturally, when Rattle and Ricket discover his plight, they set out to rescue him! But what can two witches do, when their wands (broken in the course of their trip) aren't working...?

Unlike the first Rattle, Ricket and Rum adventure, When Witches' Wands Won't Work has not been published, to the best of my knowledge, here in the states, so I had to order my copy from the UK. Sadly, despite my anticipation, I found that I did not enjoy it as much as the earlier book. Part of this is owing to the circus theme, I think, which I found rather distasteful (I don't care for circuses, or other live animal acts), particularly as the conclusion seems to reinforce the idea that it is all good fun, provided that the ringleader behaves nicely. I did think that the artwork here was just as quirky and engaging as that in Which Witch's Wand Works?, so fans of the artist, or those looking for witchy visuals, might still want to check this one out. show less

Originally published in Britain, and only made available here in the USA this past year (2009), Which Witch's Wand Works? offers an endearingly quirky little tale, in which two witch sisters - Rattle and Ricket - must put aside their differences, when their cat Rummy is endangered by their spell-casting contest. Watching the television show, Which Witch's Wand Works?, Rattle and Ricket fall into a bragging contest, which leads to a spell-casting competition, which leads to... well, show more disaster!

The language patterns here felt a little British to me - I don't mean that in a negative way, but parents of young children, here in the USA, might want to take note - but overall I think this would make an excellent read-aloud, with the two sisters trying to go one better than the other. The illustrations are funky and fun, with elongated body-shapes and droll expressions that add to the entertainment. All in all, an engaging little tale for younger witch enthusiasts! I think I will have to track down the sequel, When Witch's Wands Won't Work, which is (alas!) not available here in the USA... show less

What really stands out with this book are the illustrations. They are vivid, colorful and beautifully painted. Not many children’s books have this kind of skillful artwork. The Tickle Tree is all about imagination. It reminds me of a doctor Seuss book because it has words like: frink, Grimbles, blubbalub, wibblebird and more. Like Dr. Seuss books, the sentences also rhyme with each other. “Have you given a moonjack a ride on your foot, or cuddled a clumph and been hugged by a snoot?” show more Doing this with children’s books can be hard to do right. Many authors have tried doing things like this and have failed at it, but Strathie has done it well. This book has no real story line, which can be difficult to use in a classroom. However, this book would be a good tool to get children to use their imagination. Children have the best imagination but it can be difficult for them to use it if it’s asked of them on the spot. With this book, kids can read it and think of all kinds of things to think up. show less

“The Tickle Tree” is a delightful picture book, suitable for the ages of about 3 to 7. The text is a rhyme describing some of the imaginary and wonderful things children could experience in their dreams, such as walking “with a wibblebird made out of jelly” (Chae Strathie). I think children would enjoy reading this aloud, especially with all of its nonsense words and alliteration. Children would undoubtedly appreciate the humor of it. Also Poly Bernatene's colorful, oil acrylic show more illustrations suit the text perfectly. Hence they capture the imaginary creatures and places as described by Strathie really well, giving them a dream like quality. In summary not only is “The Tickle Tree” a competent reading tool but it's also great in terms of developing imagination. show less