And we’re back with the second of three Halloween-themed children’s books from my mom’s past (that she has given to me, and that I share with my own kid). This time it’s Humbug Witch, a book about a little girl that dresses up as a witch and has a lot of fun doing so.
This little witch is very little, with long stringy hair (so much that she trips over it), decked out in typical witch fashion — gloves, a shawl, black boots with gold buckles, a pointy hat — the works. She even has a black cat named Fred. But there’s a problem, for as much as she looks like a witch, her actions come off a little too girly and childlike; her cackles are instead giggles, her broom and magic words don’t allow her to fly or turn Fred into an alligator, and her potions are just concoctions of condiments found in her fridge. But there’s no worry, because she decides it’s time to take a break from being a witch and transform back into a cute little girl.
Having a kid, I read a lot of modern children’s books. There’s a lot of rhyming and big plot points. Humbug Witch is the opposite. 1965 was a simpler time in kids’ literature, it seems. No rhyming or fancy storyline here: just a girl and her witchy self. A simple story that’s easy to understand and easy to imagine yourself in. For only using a few colors, the pictures are wonderfully vibrant and fun. The witch’s nose is big and red, and her hair is indeed stringy. Fred the cat is cute as a button.
There’s not much to the book, and that’s a big reason why I like Humbug Witch. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and take five minutes to read a story and imagine. For my son, it’s imagining himself as a magical being, concocting spooky potions and flying. For me, it’s reminiscing about that age where dressing up as something actually made you that thing. It’s a childlike wonder that I think a lot of adults would enjoy experiencing again.
Perhaps this would be not enough for an older child, but kindergarten and under? Absolutely! Humbug Witch is easy reading with a simple story to delight every witch at heart.
What did you think of Humbug Witch? Let us know in the comments!
Humbug Witch is available on Kindle, in hardcover, and in paperback from Amazon.
