A Very Brave Witch (Paula Wiseman Books) [Hardcover]

Alison McGhee (Author), Harry Bliss (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 2009 | Age Level: 4 and up | Series: Paula Wiseman Books

On the far side of town, in a big, dark house, lives a brave little witch. She has heard lots and lots about those scary humans and a holiday they call Halloween, but she has never ever seen Halloween for herself. Until one very special Halloween comes along. Perfect for trick-or-treaters of all ages, A Very Brave Witch makes for a playful read-aloud that takes the scariness out of the holiday.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–A friendly young witch describes what she likes most about Halloween. She explains that although most of her kind …are afraid of humans, she has done research and concluded that people are not that bad. She plans to visit them this Halloween night as they trick a tree. After boarding her broom, she zooms in a circle, becomes dizzy, and crashes near some trick-or-treaters. She soon discovers that a brave witch and a brave human girl dressed as a witch are not so very different. As the book ends, the two new friends share a moonlit broomstick ride. The chatty text appears in dialogue balloons. Done in black ink and watercolor, the cartoon artwork captures the holiday's spirit with crisp fall colors and amusing details. Busy witches decorate their creepy-looking mansion by hanging skeletons, un-caging bats, and sprinkling spiders out the windows. In the Sub-Basement Costume Unit, a seamstress is hard at work sewing a monster paw; costumes line the walls (Frankenstein, a space creature, etc.); and politician masks share space with a jar full of eyeballs. Both children–one green and one not–are appealing, and the witch's orange cat, with its expressive features, adds to the fun. A humorous, not-scary-at-all read-aloud.–Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Alison McGhee is the New York Times bestselling author of SOMEDAY, LITTLE BOY, SO MANY DAYS, BYE-BYE CRIB, ALWAYS, A VERY BRAVE WITCH and BINK AND GOLLIE. Her other children's books include ALL RIVERS FLOW TO THE SEA, COUNTDOWN TO KINDERGARTEN, and SNAP. Alison is also an award-winning novelist of the adult novels WAS IT BEAUTIFUL: A NOVEL; RAINLIGHT; and the Today Show book club selection, SHADOWBABY. She lives in Minneapolis, MN. Visit her website at www.alisonmcghee.com.

Harry Bliss is an award-winning, nationally syndicated cartoonist and cover artist for the New Yorker. He is the illustrator of the New York Times bestselling books A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech and Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Spider, both written by Doreen Cronin. Mr. Bliss lives with his family in northern Vermont.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books; Reprint edition (August 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416986707
• ISBN-13: 978-1416986706
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alison McGhee is the New York Times bestselling author of SOMEDAY, LITTLE BOY, BYE-BYE CRIB, ALWAYS and A VERY BRAVE WITCH. Her other children's books include ALL RIVERS FLOW TO THE SEA, COUNTDOWN TO KINDERGARTEN, SNAP, and the JULIA GILLIAN series, about the adventures of a girl who lives in Minneapolis.

Alison is also an award-winning novelist of the adult novels WAS IT BEAUTIFUL? A NOVEL; FALLING BOY; RAINLIGHT; and the Today Show book club selection, SHADOW BABY.She lives in Minneapolis, MN.

You can find her at her website and also on Facebook under Alison McGhee, Author.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice Illustrations, October 13, 2006

By 

J. Brady "oneblackhorse" (Falls Church, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Very Brave Witch (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my 4-year old because this was the first year she was really excited about Halloween. So my requirements were nice pictures, something non-threatening but still in keeping with the spirit of the holiday, and a cute story. This book meets those requirements. However, I found myself flipping through the pages too quickly and having to make up extra words to read to my child to go along with the story. There are VERY FEW words in the book so it goes much too fast and is boring if you stick to the written words. Otherwise, the pictures are nice and story is cute.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just a great, great book for kids, January 4, 2007

By 

J. Butler (Sausalito,, Ca. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Very Brave Witch (Hardcover)

I bought 10 of them and gave them to all the nieces and nephews for the Holidays. The story is cute, the illustrations are amazing. Bliss packs a lot of funny goodies into the backgrounds for parents as well. Its a real fun read, and the kids loved it cause there is so much there to find during multiple readings. Buy one or 10, you won't be disapointed.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for little girls, September 27, 2008

By 

Backroads "Scatter-brained book fan" (Cache Valley, Utah) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Very Brave Witch (Hardcover)

And what a brave witch she is! This offers a cute perspective on just what the witchy folk think of regular humans--those terrifying beings without green skin. Fortunately, our little heroine is able to make a friend. It's a very cute book that once again for McGhee shows lots of extra fun in its illustrations.