Donna Guthrie

Based on its rather drab cover, and a book description that didn't really pique my interest, I had rather low expectations of Donna Guthrie and Amy Schwartz's The Witch Who Lives Down the Hall, a picture-book I probably wouldn't have picked up from the library at all, were it not for my 'witchy-witches' project. What a mistake that would have been! I was pleasantly surprised this morning, on my commute, to discover what an engaging, fun, witchy adventure it is - definitely one of the better show more ones I have read so far this season!

Narrated by a young boy, who is convinced that his neighbor, Ms. McWee, is a witch, it lists the many pieces of evidence in favor of the idea - Ms. McWee's grouchy cat, Malcolm, her seemingly supernatural knowledge of the young boy's interests, her very effective 'potion' to defeat colds, and most of all, her love of Halloween - while also noting the more prosaic explanations given by the boy's mother. Following each of these, of course, is the boy's reiteration that he "is not so sure." After a disastrous experience trick-or-treating in his building, the boy makes his way to Ms. McWee's fabulously decorated apartment, where he discovers a true kindred spirit, and decides that, witch or no, she is one magical lady...

I enjoyed everything about The Witch Who Lives Down the Hall, and had I encountered it as a kid - it was published in the 1980s, so I could have encountered it - it would have been a seasonal favorite, I think. The humor to be found in the narrative, with the boy's assertions, his mother's denials, and his dubious reaction to them, is very winsome, while the mostly black and white illustrations, with orange accents, are just charming! The sense of childhood wonder - not something 'sweet,' but rather, real and sharp - is present here... I was reminded of some of my own childhood experiences, like my belief that the creepy dark brown house, up the hill from my own, was haunted. Recommended to anyone in the market for good, witchy Halloween fare! show less

Gromelda prided herself on being a very wicked witch, delighting in casting mean spells and causing distress. Then one day, as she buried her nose in her book of evil magic, that appendage began to itch. When she tasted her terrible brew her mouth began to itch, while scrying with her crystal ball, looking for ideas for nasty magic, caused her hands to itch. As one activity after another caused terrible itchiness, Gromelda decided to seek the help of Womack the Wizard. But would she be able show more to change, when that magic maker enlightened her as to the cause—she had become allergic to evil magic—of her affliction..?

Published in 1990, The Witch Has an Itch is the second witchy picture book I have read from author Donna Guthrie, following upon her 1985 The Witch Who Lives Down the Hall. Having greatly enjoyed that earlier title, I picked this one up with anticipation, and I was not disappointed! I found the narrative engaging, and think that the sing-songy refrain describing Gromelda's various itchy experiences will make the reading experience more entertaining for young listeners. The accompanying artwork from illustrator Katy Keck Arnsteen was very cute, and perfectly captured the humor of the tale. Recommended to picture book audiences who enjoy witchy stories. Although not specifically set at Halloween, this would make a good story-time selection for that time of year. show less

Fans of Shakespeare are going to love this one! But it isn't only for them (obviously). Young readers/listeners meet Shakespeare as a young boy, who's full of life and ready for a silly, crazy adventure. It's a wonderful weave of a new tale, Shakespeare's famous lines, and a whole lot of chasing in between.

I'm going to start with the illustrations because they really are amazing. Shakespeare is presented as a bright, happy, enthusiastic boy, and yet, there's just a pinch of mischievous show more adventure packed into him that makes it impossible not to want to know what will happen to him. The scenes he races through each hold something from his books to match the famous phrases. And while these might be recognizable, they still have a lovely, subtle humor and so many fun details, that it's a treat to meet each page.

Alone Shakespeare's words would shoot way over young listeners' heads. So, this book steers kind of clear of that. Instead, the phrases become strings of words that he chases as they do anything and everything they can to stay out of his reach. The phrases always match the characters in the illustrations, though, placing them nicely with his works in a very subtle and fun way.

As to the adventure...well, these phrases are very slick and tricky. Young William does his best to dash after them, and that's the story told in the usual printed font. There's a few lines on each page, and these keep the tension and fun high. I was a little disappointed to see that sometimes the vocabulary is on the tougher side, though. While new words are great for young readers, this book does pack more than that. And considering Shakespeare's phrases are already going to stretch things on that end, it might be a bit more than some listeners will be able to wrap their heads around. Still, I did love the adventure and find the chase simply cute and clever.

This is a lovely book to pick up and proves that Shakespeare isn't dry or out of reach. Young listeners will enjoy the fun, be lured in by the illustrations, and maybe wish they could have squiggly lines of words to go after themselves.

I received an ARC and enjoyed every page. show less

This book appealed both to my inner Judy Blume and the English teacher. The authors take the reader through the entire process of publishing a book- from figuring out whether you want to writing fiction or non-fiction to illustrating and promoting. What I like best is that this text falls under the "tricks you into learning" category: explaining characters, setting, cinflict, and esolution. The student is studing the elements of plot without his/her knowledge. Another bonus is the section of show more editing, a step students frequently ignore. One drawback is that only two pages are devoted to editing-- I owuld like to have seen it emphasized more. show less