The Witch Down the Street

Although she had once been friends with her neighbor Mrs. Burke, an elderly woman who lived alone with her cat, Melissa allows herself to be convinced by neighborhood rumors and her new school friends that the older woman is a witch. Prompted by one of these friends, she leaves a mean note on Mrs. Burke's door, even though she knows it isn't right. Then three Care Bears from the land of Care-a-Lot - Love-a-Lot Bear, Birthday Bear and Funshine Bear - appear and help her to see that she has nothing to be frightened of, and that Mrs. Burke is a lonely person in need of friendship...

The Care Bears were immensely popular when I was a girl, and although I didn't have any, I definitely had friends who did. Each bear had a special task, show more something that would help children to be in better touch with their emotions, and to be more caring to one another, and that task was always represented by a little emblem on their bellies. In any case, there have also been Care Bear television shows, movies, and this line of picture-books, each one teaching some important lesson. The story here - an elderly woman is mistaken by local children for a witch - is an extremely common one, both in children's literature and in real childhood. I recall that the neighborhood children where I grew up spread similar rumors about ancient Mrs. Ogilvy, who lived in a massive, dark-wood-shingled house on my street. I think that this is both common and natural, the fear young children sometimes have of the very elderly, especially when they appear grumpy or unfriendly, and it is something that adult caregivers should be mindful of, and address in a reassuring way. Thankfully, I was never disrespectful or inconsiderate toward Mrs. Ogilvy, but I also don't recall being kind or neighborly.

In any case, I found the story here sweet, the message on point, and the artwork colorful and cute, in a distinctly 1980s cartoon style. This is not a book I would normally have picked up, as I have little real interest in the Care Bears, despite my recollection of them, but I found it on a list of witchy picture-books. In the end, it isn't so much a witchy tale as it is a story of intergenerational friendship, and the ability of love and kindness to drive out fear and prejudice. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories that address the fear of elderly neighbors. show less