Clever Little Witch

Va˘n (In a Village by the Sea) sets this magical caper on Mãi Mãi Island, where Little Linh shows readers the items every witch needs (a broomstick, spell book, and winged mouse), then presents her problem: "Do you know what a clever little witch does not need? A baby brother." Baby Phu, it seems, squalls, chews on spell books, and messes with his sibling's broomstick. After offering Baby Phu to the island's otherworldly creatures (they aren't interested), Linh decides to turn him into a goldfish. He's eaten the page the spell is printed on, so she improvises, chanting, "From the tip of your nose to the top of your toes, bubble eyes, marble size, let me see those fishy eyes." The spell doesn't work, and Yum (Bark in the Park!) draws the resulting mayhem as Baby Phu turns into a succession of animals, none of them goldfish. Yet when all goes awry, it's Baby Phu who comes to the rescue. Linh has spirit and energy, even when things aren't going her way, but the story's real draw lies in its Southeast Asian setting--clever little witches can be found everywhere. Ages 4-6. Author's agent: Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency. Illustrator's agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary Agency. (July)

PreS-Gr 1--Little Linh, the self-proclaimed "cleverest little witch on Mãi Mãi Island" has everything a witch needs--a broomstick, a book of spells, and a cute winged mouse familiar. Unfortunately, she also has a pesky toddler brother who wreaks havoc flying on Linh's broomstick, chews up her book of spells, and uses her magic pet to keep her up at night. To rid herself of the nuisance, she offers up Baby Phu to other magical denizens of the island but they want nothing to do with him. Exasperated, the little witch decides to turn him into a goldfish and discovers that half of the spell page has been eaten by Phu. Efforts to improvise the second half turn the little terror into a frog, a seal, and finally a dragon who, in the end, saves his older sister from a fall. Yum's cheerful acrylic gouache and color pencil illustrations depict a pleasant island setting with serene ocean and palm trees contrasts with the characters' cartoonishly expressive faces that radiate mischief, annoyance, alarm, and occasional contentment. VERDICT A magical and humorous, but entirely relatable tale of sibling rivalry (and reconciliation).--Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Library, Boston University