Korky Paul

Winnie the Witch finds herself continually tripping over her black cat Wilbur in this humorous and endearing tale from Australian children's author Valerie Thomas. With a black house filled with black furnishings - even the bathtub is black! - it's not difficult to see why. After one mishap too many, Winnie reaches for her wand, turning Wilbur a bright green! But when this too proves problematic, and she turns him into a multi-colored cat, she ends up with one distressed feline on her hands. show more Is there a solution that will make Wilbur more visible, without making him unhappy...?

I really enjoyed this witchy tale (thanks, Kathryn!), which strikes me as an ideal Halloween picture-book for those young readers who scare easily, and need a gentler type of story. The solution to Winnie and Wilbur's problem is very satisfying, and the process whereby they reach it, quite amusing. British illustrator Korky Paul has created a delightful visual interpretation of Winnie's house, with many appealing details. I loved the little gremlin-type creatures that can be seen in the background of many of these pictures! As someone who grew up loving the tales of Dorrie the Little Witch, I suspect I would have taken Winnie and Wilbur to heart, as a young girl. show less

Fun story, but it's the illustrations that really make it, stylishly rendered and chockful of detail.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!

This book is on the list of [b:1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up|6936332|1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up|Julia Eccleshare|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1342805030s/6936332.jpg|7168376], but I wasn't too excited about borrowing it. The cover didn't speak to me, and we're not all that much "into" witches ...
We both loved it however. Winnie is a "nice witch", and the colorful spreads are awesome: bright, fun and full of quirky details. Glad to see show more there's a whole series of books on Winnie and Wilbur! show less

Wilbur is a black cat that lives with Winnie the witch in a black house. But Wilbur is hard to see. He gets sat on and tripped over. Winnie uses her powers to change Wilbur’s colors. But will it work? To find out read the book. It was a fun read, and while it’s hard to articulate why, I think most readers will understand why this book isn’t super popular. It’s missing something…..