THE WITCH FAMILY

Amy, "almost 7," and her best friend, Clarissa, like nothing better than sitting together to draw pictures and make up stories about mean Old Witch. When they banish their favorite character to the barren glass hill they've drawn, Old Witch is so miserable and cranky that Amy sketches a little girl and a baby to keep her company. While all the traditional elements of scary fantasy are present here, Jane Jacobs's crisp, smiling voice persuades listeners that all will be well even when she uses a crotchety voice for scheming Old Witch. The story is full of delicious vocabulary, puns, rhymes, and spelling, most often through the unusual voice of Malachi, the magic spelling bumblebee. R.H.H. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]