Brandi Dougherty

Finally! I was so excited about Rodale's new imprint for children's books but I've been disappointed by every book I've read so far. They look so cute, but the writing quality is just not very good. However, this beginning chapter book was delightful!

Daisy and the other wild fairies are going to host the Blossom Bash this year! Daisy is very excited to be in charge of the decorations, but she's also worried - how will she come up with a theme to make everyone happy? What if it rains? As she show more checks in with all the other fairies, she gets more and more worried - they are all ready with entertainment, food, and more but she's not ready at all. Fortunately, in the end she realizes it's not about being perfect, it's about friends being together and celebrating nature. They all work together to make the decorations and have a wonderful festival, even if it's not exactly as they envisioned.

Kurilla's colorful art is plentiful throughout the book. All the fairies are female, except Thistle. They are mostly flowers (Poppy, Daisy, Dahlia) but some are more general (Lily is a mermaid, Indigo has blue hair). Daisy has light-brown skin to go with her curly yellow hair, Indigo is all shades of blue and purple and likes to build and tinker with things, Thistle has spiky pink hair and light pink skin. There are cute birds, bugs, and flowers throughout the book.

There is also a lot of back matter included; There's a section on honey (which builds on the storyline in the book where Daisy suggests Thistle eat honey to cure his allergies. Spoiler: I've tried this and it didn't work. But honey is still tasty!) and a recipe for honey cakes. Another section describes each wild fairy and their critter companion, and there are drawing guides and games included as well. There is more text in the book than, say, a beginning Branches chapter book, but it's broken up with frequent illustrations and the text itself is fairly simple, perfect for a beginning chapter book. It's also under 100 pages, including the back matter.

Verdict: Not a necessary purchase, but sure to be a popular addition. Hand to your fairy and graphic novel fans, since they will enjoy the illustrations.

ISBN: 9781635651324; Published 2018 by Rodale Press; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

Wilma was the littlest witch in the Spooky Woods, and although she was determined to participate in the annual Halloween broom-flying demonstration, she found that her arms and legs were just too short to do the spins properly. Her efforts to help other witches with various Halloween preparations were similarly unsuccessful, leaving her feeling very down, until she ran into her friend, Mae the mummy. Then, when the director of the broom-flying demonstration went missing, Wilma was able to show more step into her shoes, saving the day and proving that although she was little, she did indeed have something to contribute...

One of a number of related paperback picture-books from author Brandi Dougherty about the 'littlest' member of various communities - other titles include The Littlest Elf and The Littlest Pilgrim - The Littlest Witch features a sweet, winsome little witchy story, and cute artwork. The character of Mae the mummy also appears, in a starring role, in The Littlest Mummy. This story, and the series to which it belongs, will have great child appeal, as many children will be able to identify with the feeling of being too young to contribute to group activities. The positive, upbeat conclusion of the story here will offer such readers/listeners reassurance, and the page of stickers included at the rear will add another element of fun. Witchy picture-books are a pet project of mine, so I am grateful to my friend, La Coccinelle, for bringing this one to my attention! Recommended to picture-book readers looking for sweet, rather than scary Halloween fare, and to any child readers who has felt sad about being the youngest or littlest of the group. show less

This book is really cute. I got it secondhand from my boyfriend's younger sister a year or two ago. She was in high school and was getting rid of some of her old books and since I love to read, she let me have first pick of them.

I picked this one up because the cover style reminded me greatly of one of my absolute favorite books that I read when I was in 6th grade. The cover style is highly reminiscent of Janette Rallison's All's Fair in Love, War, and High School. It kind of has similar show more thematic veins to it, but this book is shorter and it takes place in middle school instead of high school. So it is a simpler, younger main character version of that for me with some alterations. At the base though, they are both grade school, simple dramas, involving crushes and friendship troubles. There's a twinge of romance, so it is very believable at this level. It is just super sweet and laid back, while feeling like everything is high stakes to the characters, which is so much like middle school and hits the tones perfectly for middle school crushing. It doesn't try to come across as too mature or unrealistic, so I think it is a very well written book for the genre and age level it intends to be.

This book was really quick to read. I knocked it out in a single, brief sitting, but I found it to be very enjoyable. I definitely think elementary or middle school me would have enjoyed this one. show less

Mini is the smallest child in the village populated by Pilgrims and while she wants so desperately to be useful, everyone tells her that she is too little to help. Eventually her dad tells her to go pick berries, and when she does, she comes across a Native American girl who is just as a little as she is. Even though the two cannot communicate with each other, an instant friendship is formed.

This book came highly recommended but I find it a bit odd. For instance, I find it unlikely that the show more Pilgrims - who did not share our understanding of childhood - would turn a helping hand away. Surely, some task would have been found for Mini. And indeed, one is found for her by her father, but Mini continues to wander around trying to help others before finally deciding she will pick those berries after all.

Second, the book gives absolutely no historical details on the setting or time (and, indeed, few details in general), so parents, teachers, and caregivers will have to make sure to explain all of that before embarking on this book. Furthermore, The Littlest Pilgrim is marketed as a Thanksgiving book, although there is absolutely no mention of the holiday whatsoever. Again, a lot of background will need to be provided by adults before children can put this story into any kind of context.

While the story ends on the happy note that Mini is too young for most chores but she isn't too little to make a friend, this friendship isn't explored at all. Obviously as an adult, the idea of a friendship in which the two parties cannot communicate effectively seems hardly like a friendship at all, but I will take it at face value in a children's book. Still, without any of the contextual information, I feel like the story of a young child too little to do anything but make a friend might have been better served in a contemporary setting. I'd only recommend this book with a TON of additional context (i.e., perhaps in a school setting when the class has been studying a Thanksgiving unit). show less