Here There Be Witches [Paperback]

Jane Yolen (Author), David Wilgus (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

In this collection of stories and poems about witches, wizards, and warlocks, readers will encounter Baba Yaga, Merlin, the witch from Hansel and Gretel, a Native American shape-shifter, and others. Here There Be Witches is beautifully illustrated by David Wilgus, and each piece is prefaced by an author’s note from the ever-popular Jane Yolen. “An intriguing and entertaining compilation that will appeal to young adolescent readers with an interest in the scary and supernatural.”--Booklist

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8?A fine companion volume to Here There Be Dragons (1993) and Here There Be Unicorns (1994, both Harcourt). Seven poems and ten short stories present views of witches that range from humorous to poignant. A boy from a long line of sorcerers completes a routine homework assignment in "When I Grow Up, by Michael Dee." Yolen takes a sly poke at political correctness in "The Passing of the Eye," and brings Baba Yaga into the 20th century in "Boris Chernevsky's Hands." Gleanings from historical accounts serve as the seeds for "The Witch's Ride," which is about a lovely young woman beyond suspicion of witchcraft, and "Witchfinder," which takes a look at different sides of the same story. Some of the pieces have a darker note, such as "Circles," in which a young woman learns the true shape of her power, and "Weird Sisters," a poem about how some evil spells are cast by ordinary human beings. A strong, imaginative sense of story and clear, crisp language are trademarks of Yolen's work, and this collection is no exception. Wilgus's cover is enticing, and his full-page pencil drawings enhance the selections they illustrate.?Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 6^-10. Similar in format to Here There Be Unicorns , Yolen's latest collection of short stories and poetry on a single theme provides a wide variety of selections about witches in all shapes and forms. From a tale about a young girl unjustly hung as a witch in seventeenth-century England to a twist on the sword-in-the-stone legend, these stories vary in length as well as tone. Yolen shares the inspiration for each work in chatty introductory notes, and compelling black-and-white pencil drawings by David Wilgus provide an added dimension to the collection. An intriguing and entertaining compilation that will appeal to young adolescent readers with an interest in the scary and supernatural. Karen Hutt --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; 1 edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152016570
• ISBN-13: 978-0152016579
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,657,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is fun for all ages!, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Here There Be Witches (Paperback)

This book is gorgeous! The illustrations are fantastic, and add to the magic of Yolen's writing. A perfect pairing of author and illustrator. The stories are varied, making this an excellent and interesting book for all ages. I checked it out at the library, and now want my own copy for my fifth grade classroom.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Anthology of Witches, September 20, 2002

By 

R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Here There Be Witches (Paperback)

Jane Yolen's latest anthology (preceeded by 'Here There Be Dragons' and 'Here There Be Unicorns') is centred around the topic of witches and holds a wide range of writing styles, whether it be poetry, short stories, retelling of legends or dialouge. This variety of these stories and their tones sometimes makes a rather mish-mashed collection; the serious stories don't quite fit with the light-hearted ones and you feel as if they should be in separate books. On the other hand, the range means that there's something for everyone and one gets to see the many sides of witches and their crafts. David Wilgus' black-and-white illustrations are greatly responsible for my enjoyment of this book - he is able to create beauty and realism in each one, no matter how fantasic the subject matter is. I especially like the front and back cover - an old woman on the front, but a beautiful youthful one on the back - but the same snake-ring they were is testimony that they're the same person!

Yolen starts each piece of writing with a short, conversation-like introduction telling the reader how she got the inspiration for each story, what they're about and how she went about writing them, which adds further interest to the stories themselves.

There are seventeen pieces of work altogether. The poems are: 'The Magic House' - a poem about the famous Gingerbread House, 'Witch's Cat' - about the witch's best-known familiar, 'A Conversation Amoung Witches' a rhyming chant of the witches, 'Pythagoras' about the famous wizard philosopher, 'Weird Sisters' a rather dark poem that uses witches as metaphors for a young girl's life, 'When Love Came to Witch Alfre' a lighter poem about a witch who falls in love, and 'Witch Call' about famous witches in history.

Also in the book are stories suited for more grown-up readers such as 'Boris Chernevsky's Hands' a science-fiction type story that stars the famous witch Baga Yaga who helps out a young man dissatisfied with his clumsy hands, and 'Circles' about a young woman living in an abusive home who learns the secrets of casting witch circles and wishing on them.

Humourous stories include 'The Passing of the Eye' about a politically correct knight who comes across three witches and 'When I Grow Up, by Michael Dee' the essay of a boy who is about to be initiationed into the family business of becoming a warlock. As well as this there is 'Witchfinder', the story of a woman accused of witchcraft from many different viewpoints.

My favourites however, and in my opinion Yolen's best, are her re-tellings of old fairytales and her creation of new ones. These are 'The Face in the Cloth', the story of a young Princess struggling to become her own person despite her having her mother's face stitched onto the hood of her cloak, and 'The Promise' about two young people, Kay and Kaya, who are given a promise that they will marry only to be separated by an evil sorcerer when Kay is turned into a fish and lives (unknown to Kaya) in her fishpond. This one's probably my favourite, along with 'The Witch's Ride' about a man who marries the town's beauty only to wake up every morning to find himself more tired than he was the night before. His mother investigates and discovers rather startling truths about his bride...
Then there is 'The Woman Who Loved a Bear' the retelling of an old Native-American story about a Cheyenne woman who meets and is protected by a large bear.

Lastly there is a the rather long story concerning Yolane's favourite subject - Arthurian legend. In this one she distorts the tale of the Sword in the Stone a little by having 'Merlinnus' create the stone and the sword *after* Arthur is considered king. And it's not exactly Arthur who pulls out the sword...This one isn't exactly my favourite, but Yolane's love of the old legends shines through with every word.

All in all, though some stories didn't quite strike my fancy, and others were obviously borrowed from other sources (although she does try to explain herself!) this is a quite good collection of witchy stories that is sure to set off some ideas of your own, and will keep witch-loving kids occupied for some time.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark and dreary... or not, July 9, 2002

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Here There Be Witches (Paperback)

"Here There Be Witches" is as enjoyable as its predecessors, a collection of short stories and poems concentrating on witches. As before, it ranges from humorous to chilling, thought-provoking and well-written.

"The Magic House" is a brief Hansel and Gretel poem. "Witch's Ride" is a grafting of a folktale and some real-life events, about a woman considered a witch who isn't one, and a witch who isn't considered one. "A Conversation Among Witches" is just that, a conversation between three witches. "Boris Chernevsky's Hands" is a SF/F story that includes the legendary Baba Yaga, about a young man whisked away by Baba Yaga in a giant mug. "Witch's Cat" is a self-description by a witch's cat. "The Passing of the Eye" is a hilarious glimpse of what happens when the hero Perseus is a little too polite to the three witches. "The Face in the Cloth" is a poignant story about a young princess whose life is overshadowed by her mother's deal with three witches.

"When I Grow Up, by Michael Dee" is another funny story about a little boy who wants to be a warlock. "Pythagoras" was a little harder to understand, the apparent implication being that he was a wizard. "The Promise" tells of two young children, born in the same hour of two close friends, who are supposed to remain together, but who are threatened by an evil sorcerer. "Circles" is about when wishes are granted through a little magical ritual -- though not always the way that is wished for. "Weird Sisters" is about the Macbeth Witches. "The Woman Who Loved a Bear" is a Native American fable similar to "Cinderella." "When Love Came to Witch Alfre" describes the problems when a witch falls in love. "The Sword and the Stone" is an extremely enjoyable Arthurian tale about Merlin, a mysterious stranger, and a sword in a stone. "Witchfinder" is a story about a poor old woman accused of making cows dry up. "Witch Call" is a Wicca-themed poem.

There are a few dead spots in this collection, but overall it is a highly enjoyable collection of short stories and poems. As with the books "Dragons" and "Unicorns," these will entertain with sprightly prose and original storytelling.