Druscilla's Halloween (Carolrhoda Picture Books) [Library Binding]

Sally M. Walker (Author), Lee White (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Carolrhoda Picture Books

Poor Druscilla. Her sore, ancient knees are so creaky and loud that she can't sneak up on anyone to play witchy tricks on Halloween. She and her faithful cat, Drizzle, try to find a way for her to sneak quietly - riding her donkey, enchanting her wheelbarrow, making wings - yet all fail miserably.

But when she picks up a broom to sweep up the scattered feathers, she has an idea that just might work!

This charming Halloween picture book finally solves the mystery of why witches fly on broomsticks.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3—In the days before witches rode brooms, they snuck up on people on foot during Halloween to scare them. Druscilla, the oldest of all the witches, had knees that cracked and popped so loudly that she couldn't surprise anyone. Not one to be left behind, she looked for other means of frightening people. First she tried to ride her donkey, but it was too stubborn to fall under her spell. Next she tried the wheelbarrow, but it was too hard to steer. Then she turned her arms into wings by pasting feathers to them. Flying worked well until it began to rain. Her "ah ha!" moment came as she swept up the feathers. The broom would be perfect: a seat for her, a place to hold her jack-o'-lantern, plus a perch for her cat. All of the other witches agreed, and at the next worldwide witches council, broomsticks were voted in. The use of various fonts and their placement among the illustrations adds emphasis and visual interest to Walker's text. The atmospheric spreads have just the right amount of spookiness and ample touches of humor.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH END

From the Inside Flap

Did witches always ride brooms?

No! In fact, long, long ago, witches crept about on tiptoe. On Halloween, they would scare children and cast spells...but always from the ground. No witch ever thought of flying -- no witch until Druscilla.

Druscilla was an old witch with the loudest, creakiest knees anyone had ever heard. But she was determined not to let anything spoil her element of surprise. One Halloween, after many failed attempts at sneaking up on unsuspecting villagers, Druscilla made a discovery that changed the course of witch history.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822589419
• ISBN-13: 978-0822589419
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 10 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #955,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Druscilla is a funny, warty charmer that everyone will fall in love with! SNAP! CRACKLE! CRACK! CREAK! POP!, August 20, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Druscilla's Halloween (Carolrhoda Picture Books) (Library Binding)

Millions of spells ago witches were very busy preparing for Halloween. Of course they wanted to make it as scary as possible so they practiced up on their "cackling skills," their cats practiced hisssssssing and naturally every witch got out the mousse for the cat's back "so it stood up even spikier than ever." Did you know that witches drink potions so they could get those big ugly warts to grow on their ugly bugly looking chins? Well, they do! Witches had to be very quiet so they could sneak up on little children and scare `em half to death, but Druscilla had a little problem. She was the "ricketiest witch of all."

SNAP! CRACKLE . . . no, that's CRACK! CREAK! POP! She had knees that wouldn't quit. She couldn't sneak up on someone who was hard of hearing, let alone a youngster who needed some Halloween scaring. She had an idea and walked with her cat Drizzle through the forest. Every critter in the forest heard her coming, including the fireflies, and ran for cover. Druscilla and Drizzle got up on her donkey, but no amount of coaxing could get that stubborn old donkey to move. Not even a spell or the word please (which almost always works) could get him moving. She tried gluing feathers to her arms so she could fly. PLOP! No go. No self respecting witch could be a flop on Halloween. What on Earth could Druscilla do to solve her dilemma?

I loved this creaky kneed witch! She was a funny, warty charmer that everyone will fall in love with from the wee child to his or her grandparents. She's not a very scary witch that will send children running for cover, but rather will make them giggle and laugh at her antics. The illustrations are very appealing and the harvest colors are very much in line with Halloween. I did notice a magical looking broom toward the end of the book. I wonder if Druscilla played quidditch millions of spells ago?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories for Children Magazine 5 Star Review, August 12, 2009

By 

Virginia S. Grenier "Children's Author & Stor... (Ivins, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Druscilla's Halloween (Carolrhoda Picture Books) (Library Binding)

Reviewed by: Wayne Walker



Did you ever wonder why witches ride brooms? Well, as author Sally M. Walker tells it, the story all began a million spells ago with an ancient witch named Druscilla. In those days, witches crept about on tiptoe and scared children on Halloween from the ground. But Druscilla had the loudest, creakiest knees that anyone had ever heard, so she could not surprise people. Her knees even sent rabbits, squirrels, and fireflies scurrying. Not to be denied her fun, one Halloween she tried several different ways of being sneaky--riding a donkey, rolling in a wheelbarrow, and even making wings with chicken feathers so that she could fly. However, all these attempts failed. Then, as she was sweeping up the feathers, she had a brilliant idea. Can you guess what it was?



This delightful tale of Druscilla's Halloween is a little spooky but not too scary for small children. Accompanied by the fascinating illustrations by Lee White, the story will be a welcome addition to the Halloween literature for kindergartners and elementary-age students. I found it enjoyable.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The colorful and humorous illustrations add verve and flair to an already bewitching story, August 21, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Druscilla's Halloween (Carolrhoda Picture Books) (Library Binding)

"Druscilla's Halloween" is a children's Halloween tale designed to appeal to ages 5-9. Its unlikely heroine is an eccentric old witch whose creaky knees keep giving her away on her special holiday when she is supposed to tiptoe through town and scare each child (only as much as they want to be scared). The hilarious activities of Druscilla and her cat Drizzle, not to mention her uncooperative donkey and feather-donating chickens make for a fascinating story of the invention of the magic flying boomstick! "Druscilla's Halloween" is a combination of practicality and magic, of belief and persistence, and Druscilla's determination demonstrates that valuable talents can be hidden in very strange packages. "Druscilla's Halloween" is a delightful October tale. The colorful and humorous illustrations add verve and flair to an already bewitching story.