Review - The Littlest Witch

The Littlest Witch (A Littlest Book)
by Brandi Dougherty
illustrated by Jamie Pogue
Date: 2019
Publisher: Cartwheel Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 27
Format: e-book
Source: library

From the New York Times bestselling author who brought us The Littlest Elf comes a sweet new Halloween story filled with gentle spooky fun and one adorable little witch friend!

In this companion to The Littlest Mummy, Mae the Mummy's friend Wilma is the littlest witch in the Spooky Woods. She may be little, but Wilma knows this is the year she'll be able to fly with her family in the big broom-flying demonstration! But even though she knows the flying routine by heart, Wilma just isn't able to fly yet. Will Wilma be able to find a way to participate in the broom-flying fun, or is the littlest witch still too little?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The Littlest Witch tells the story of Wilma, who is the smallest witch in her community. She'd like to fly in the broom-flying demonstration, and she knows the routine perfectly... but try as she might, she just can't keep up with the bigger witches. As she moves through the community offering assistance to the other witches, her small size keeps sabotaging her efforts. Finally, she has to admit that she's just too small. But on the day of the broom-flying demonstration, something goes wrong... and it turns out that, with the help of her mummy friend, she's the only one who can fix it.

The message here is that, even if you might not measure up physically, you can have other strengths that are just as important. I like the way Wilma is empowered to take charge and set things right with her ingenuity, preparation, and knowledge.

The illustrations are quite cute here. There's really nothing scary to look at, so it's a very gentle Halloween sort of story. (It seems that Mae the mummy previously appeared in her own story. If it's anything like The Littlest Witch, then it might be worth taking a look at.)

Overall, this is a strong Halloween picture book with lovely illustrations and a nice message. Recommended to those who like books about little witches who use their smarts to overcome their seeming disadvantages.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.67 out of 5