I Want to Be a Witch

PreS-Gr 1—An unnamed protagonist proclaims her desire to be a witch when she grows up. However, she's very particular about which witchy traits she'd willingly embrace. She's all about a sparkly hat covered in stars, a cat, a magic wand, a crystal ball, and a flying broomstick. She has no interest in creepy crawly things, a warty nose, knobby knees, rotted teeth, ugly curled-up boots, green hair, horrid potions, or scary witch friends. Just as readers are starting to feel sorry for the poor, maligned stereotypical witch, the surprise ending comes (spoiler alert): "When I grow up I want to be a nice witch…Just like my mom." (Awwww.) Cunliffe's illustrations are bold with bright colors, plenty of detail, and just enough white space to keep them from being overwhelming. There is plenty of humor and light touches in this breezy story. The multifont and varied text size is woven in and around the lively illustrations, making for an energetic reading experience that's sure to be a hit with the princess crowd. Also, the book could be a great classroom discussion starter about stereotypes.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH