One Witch

A witch sets out to collect ingredients from all her creepy friends in One Witch, from the "Two cats inside a pail," who "gave the witch a fish's tail," to the "Ten werewolves in a group," who "gave the witch some spider soup," eventually gathering enough to hold a feast for everyone.

Now this is what I was hoping the recent Which Way to Witch School? (which failed to live up to my expectations) would be - an engagingly witchy picture-book told entirely in rhyme! Amazingly, given the fact that I was a little ambivalent about the cover illustration, and generally don't take to counting books, this one really impressed me. The rhyme-scheme didn't feel forced, the rhythm would make for an energetic read-aloud, and the ink and watercolor show more illustrations had a zany charm that was completely unexpected, after the uninspiring cover. Best of all, it actually had a story! show less

Deveria ter lido esse ontem à noite, mas fiquei tão encantada com as ilustrações do SD Schindler nos livros de gatos alados da Ursula Le Guin que fui procurar mais do seu trabalho no archive.org .
One Spooky Night/One Witch é um livro bem divertido que ensina que bruxa sabe muito bem o que é práxis comunal, no dia de Halloween ela sai pegando ingredientes de toda a vizinhança para fazer uma grande festa à noite e o leitor também é convidado.

A creepy counting book! One witch on a hill is planning to throw a party for all of her gruesome friends. We count along as her friends each give items to make a stew: "nine skeletons on a stone gave the witch a finger bone..."

After the concoction is cooked, she sends them invitations so we get to see them again in different settings: "four goblins in their holes, three scarecrows on their poles..." The best part of this story is the surprise ending because guess who else is invited to the party?

Two strengths here: highly detailed ink and watercolor illustrations show some of the creepiest Halloween creatures in their natural settings and the word choice of the rhyming text. It's a smooth and satisfying read-aloud that ends with a shock!

One witch with an empty pot has a plan. As she visits all her friends, each provides a tasty, ghoulish ingredient for to fill her pot. When she finally has enough items to create a spooktacular stew, she sends out invitations. Cats, ghouls, mummies, and vampires are all eager to sample the delectable dish, but there's something missing. You'll never guess what it is unless you check out this spooky tale.

The Bottom Line: This creative, Halloween-themed take on the classic Stone Soup folktale is super fun to read. Kids will enjoy counting up to ten and back down again with Leuck's spooky and silly rhymes. Children and adults alike will delight in Schindler's wonderful ink and watercolor illustrations which are colorful and detailed, but show more not too scary. This is one picture book you'll read over and over again with your little ones. Also, highly recommended for storytime for children in Kindergarten and Grade 1.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. show less

One Witch is brilliantly clever as it carries you through a spooky Halloween setting where a witch plans her party and invites her guests. Each page introduces a different character who will be a guest at her party, along with providing cues for learning to count the numbers from 1-10. From one cat up to ten werewolves, the witch gathers materials for her frightful stew. Her guests include cats, scarecrows, goblins, vampires, mummies, owls, ghosts, skeletons, and werewolves, and then she invites "you" too! Absolutely wonderful and spooky images adorn the pages in ink and watercolor on watercolor paper. A fantastic book for reading along with in a classroom while practicing counting and rhyming.

I laughed out loud at the last page - this is such a cute book and I highly recommend it to the young and young-at-heart alike, to witchy folks and pagan peeps - it's so adorable. I bought it for myself but I know I would have loved the text and the pictures when I was a kid. :)

This counting book has a witch flying all around to gather nasty ingredients for a stew from her creepy friends. She makes the stew and invites her friends over for a party.

I love the illustrations! I think they do a great job of being creepy and a little silly, which is the right balance for such a young audience. I love all of the details in the illustrations, which will delight kids and capture their attention. I like how the ingredients for the witch's stew are gross and gruesome, two things children love. The repetitive structure, rhyme, and rhythm are perfect for getting children engaged and helping them to be involved in the reading.