Winnie the Witch [Paperback]

Valerie Thomas (Author), Korky Paul (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Winnie lived in her black house with her cat, Wilbur. He was black too. And that is how the trouble began.

Everything in Winnies house is black—the carpet, the chairs, the bed and the sheets, the pictures on the walls, and even the bathtub! And of course her cat, Wilbur, is black too—all except for his bright-green eyes. Whenever poor Wilbur closes his eyes and tries to take a catnap, Winnie stumbles right over him. Or accidentally sits on top of him. Until one day, when Winnie gets a brilliant idea. What if Wilbur were a different color?

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Winnie the witch has a black house. The interior of the house is also blackthe rooms, walls, furniture, utensils, etc. Her cat is Wilbur, black with bright green eyes. When Wilbur closes his eyes to doze off, he disappears into the background of Winnie's home, and she accidentally tramples himagain and again. This practical witch, who loves her feline friend, changes his color to green. But when he's outside in the grass, the problem recurs. She then waves her wand over him five times and turns him into a five-color cat, but Wilbur is mortified and climbs up a tree to hide. Winnie brings him back to his original state and instead uses colorization on the big black house. In true Halloween spirit, Paul's pictures of the witch's house are spooky and most imaginative. Her palette of gray, black and white in the opening pages reveals all the eerie details of Wilbur and Winnie's existence, and the technicolor transformation is a startling surprise. Thomas's story is simply stated, with a cauldron-full of original humor. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

`Paul's artwork is as dynamic and arresting as ever. His comic touch is perfectly judged, stretching the simple story within reach of a wide age group. ' The Guardian, Amazing Stories Supplement, October 2003. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Kane/Miller Book Publishers (September 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916291324
• ISBN-13: 978-0916291327
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,504,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You and your children will love Winnie and Wilbur, October 14, 2000

By 

"booknut3" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winnie the Witch (Hardcover)

I found this book at the library. My 4 and 6 year old love it so much they asked for their own copy to have for always. Winnie's whole house is black and so is her cat Wilbur. This presents a problem when Winnie trips over Wilbur several times. She decides the solution is to magically turn him multi-colored but Wilbur is so unhappy Winnie changes him back and comes up with a much better solution. Any child will love this endearing story. Winnie the Witch is a great read anytime of the year.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Winnie the Witch, October 27, 2003

By 

Wendy (Ballston Spa, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winnie the Witch (Paperback)

I was introduced to this story at a conference for parents and educators focusing on curriculum differentiation for children who don't fit the mold (ie. the square peg in the round hole of an inflexible educational system). The message was to change the environment as opposed to the child and I thought that this story illustrated that point most poignantly.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bright colourful with a lot to look at., December 29, 2005

By 

A. Woodley "Patroness, Janeites, the Austen list" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Winnie the Witch (Paperback)

This is, I think very much more for a child from 2-4 than anything else. The language is simple as are the concepts. It is very good humoured and beautifully illustrated. This is a book my 2 and 4 year old love to look at.

There are quite complicated illustrations of Winnies house which is a large castle - it is all in black. The problem is that Winnie's cat is also black, she can see the cat when its eyes are open, but when they are closed she keeps tripping over it - so she changes the colour of the cat.

It is a simple story, just a couple of plot elements, a little bit of problem solving and a happy ending (as you would expect) It is a nice book for discussing how to solve problems with children - (for instance what would you do if you kept tripping over the cat? what colour would you like best here? and so on) Its a nice book for opening up dialogue, and also for leading into art and creativity.

It is also a nice book just to read - and it is a favourite with my two at bed time right now. I think the cat is the most appealing thing in it, which is well drawn and a bit leggy, the illustrations remind a lot of Ronald Searle/Quentin Blake style.

I see there are more books in this series and I am keen to get hold of them for the girls before they grow out of them