Jana Dillon

Redheaded Pandora causes no end of trouble at Ms. Broomstick's School for Witches in this delightfully witchy picture-book, precipitating one mishap after another. From doing handstands on her broom during flying class to accidentally turning her black kitten into a skunk during the kitten-care lesson, she creates many unfortunate situations, situations in which Ms. Broomstick must step in to set things right. That patient teacher must endure being squirted with pumpkin goo during the jack-o-lantern carving lesson, being overwhelmed with bubbles during potion class, and being overrun by toads and kittens at the end of the night. Fortunately, she has the right attitude, and is aware that although Pandora may be rather heedless, she has a loving heart...

I had never heard of author Jana Dillon or illustrator Rebecca McKillip Thornburgh before picking up Ms. Broomstick's School for Witches, which I tracked down because of my interest in witchy picture-books. A slim paperback publication which came out in 2002, was never reprinted, and is currently out-of-print, it is not a book for which I had high expectations. I was surprised to discover therefore, that it is an absolute charmer, pairing an entertaining and ultimately heartwarming tale of a little witch who tries her best but can't help making mistakes, with absolutely lovely illustrations full of appealing witchy details. I ended up greatly enjoying this one, and am only sorry I didn't discover it before! Highly recommended to all picture-book readers who enjoy witchy tales, or who long to go to witch school themselves.… (more)