Barbara Barbieri McGrath

Barbara Barbieri McGrath, whose The Little Green Witch was a Halloween retelling of the traditional tale of The Little Red Hen, turns once again to that story with this Christmas title. Here, we have a little red elf and her lazy roommates - an indifferent reindeer, a playful penguin, and a perpetually snoozing hare - who all refuse to lend a hand, when the elf finds a pinecone, and decides to plant it. Naturally, the three layabouts also refuse to water the tree, when it starts to grow; to show more help to uproot it and bring it into the house, when it is time to decorate it; or to put out milk and cookies (presumably for Santa Claus), in the hopes that presents will be left underneath it. They are not, however, averse to helping to open the presents, come Christmas morning! But will the little red elf let them...?

As with her earlier revisionist retelling of this tale, I found McGrath's narrative - with each character's flippant responses to the elf's pleas for help - quite amusing. Unlike that earlier telling, I also enjoyed the illustrations, done in pen and acrylic by French artist Rosalinde Bonnet. They have a cute "artsy-crafty" feeling to them, with lots of quirky little details - I loved all the tiny creatures who appear in the outdoor scenes (and peeking in at the window, in one indoor scene!) - that add to the appeal. I did feel a little ambivalent about the ending, and agree with those reviewers who object to the fact that the elf's animal companions haven't really learned their lesson, but somehow, the overall charm of this one carried me along. Recommended to readers looking for a fun, lighthearted holiday read, or to those interested in adaptations of this tale type. show less

A ghost, a bat, a gremlin and a little green witch all live together in a twisted hollow tree in this Halloween adaptation of the classic folk-tale, The Little Red Hen. The ghost likes to float, the bat to hang, and the gremlin to nap, leaving the little green witch to do all the work. When she finds a bunch of pumpkin seeds, she tries to interest her friends in helping her plant, cultivate and harvest them, all to no avail. Of course, that doesn't stop the three layabouts from wanting some show more pumpkin pie, when the time comes!

Although I've given it only two stars, there were definitely things I enjoyed about The Little Green Witch, chief amongst them Barbara Barbieri McGrath's amusing narrative. She really has an ear for dialogue, and the three friends' various responses, each time they are asked to help the little green witch, won more than one chuckle, as did the ending. Unfortunately, Martha Alexander's somewhat scratchy illustrations did not appeal to me at all, making this one witchy picture-book I probably won't pick up again. Still, mileage varies, so someone with a different aesthetic sensibility might enjoy this. show less

Ok, some ppl don't get the ending. So, read a traditional version of the little red hen first.

Then just laugh. I mean, I'm not into vengeance or revenge, but seriously, this elf does do a vicious two-part whammy on the lazy critters, and they deserve it. Even though penguins don't live in the north, and even though the pictures are too twee for words, I still love this version of one of my favorite stories.

If you don't, sorry.
Maybe try the author's Little Green Witch next; I recall really show more liking that even though the ending is quite so intense. show less

This was wonderfully done. Start with five ostriches and unlike other books where one expects a countdown, all these ostriches get to stay together. Which is a good thing since there is a lion on the prowl and they’re playing hide and seek. One of my favorite things is that at no point in time do the ostriches put their heads in the sand. The author knew that that is not what truly happens. Overall, this book works, and I see it being really really fun for story time.