From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3–Set "a long time ago in Scotland" in a rustic cottage on a grassy hill at nighttime, this tale features a sweet redheaded young witch named Ella who sits at her spinning wheel, wishing for company. Succeeding pages open with the words, "Knock! Knock!" in large, colorful letters. Through the door walk a pair of enormous feet, then two spindly legs in argyle socks, big hairy knees…etc. The body parts, which gradually assemble themselves into a giant, are gruesome enough to provide a tingle or two up readers' spines. Ella timidly asks: "Why do you have such teeny-weeny legs?" "To hold up my tough hard knees." "Why do you have such a pumpkin-sized head?" "Big brain, witch! Big brain." Peering from behind a curtain, Ella brings this interplay to a climax: "And what do all of you come here for?" Her visitor's answer is both thrilling and satisfying, bringing the story to a fine finish. Wahl's recasting of the traditional tale "The Strange Visitor" may also remind some youngsters of Jane O'Connor's
TheTeeny Tiny Woman (Random, 1986) and other cumulative stories.
Knock! Knock! makes an excellent read-aloud because of its repetitive text and suspenseful tone. Done in acrylic paint and mixed media, the illustrations are filled with creepy details and atmospheric shadows. This picture book will be frightfully successful on Halloween and all year round.
–Susan Weitz, Spencer-Van Etten Schools, Spencer, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
K-Gr. 2. A redheaded witch from Scotland, Ella La Grimble, sits spinning one night, feeling awfully lonely. But when a pair of boots knocks on her door and walks over to her fire, she is a bit disappointed because, "feet are not much company." With the next "Knock! Knock!" a pair of teeny-weeny legs comes in to sit upon the feet, then some hairy knees, and so on, until a big kilt-wearing Scotsman is fully assembled in her living room, looking quite off-putting indeed. (The self-stacking body parts are slightly disturbing, especially the headless body with the tiny neck stub reaching for its "pumpkin-sized head.") The suspense builds as the wide-eyed witch fearfully asks, "And what do all of you come here for?" Happily, on the last page, her visitor is shown sitting by the fire with some steaming soup, assuring her it's only to keep her company. While the mixed-media and acrylic illustrations are engaging, the best parts of this rather odd story are the repetition and rhythm in the telling.
Karin SnelsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
