Ellen Jackson (1)

Wendy the Witch is delighted when her father, who is a self-taught man himself, permits her to go to school with the other children, but she soon finds that he and her teacher, Miss Crispus, have taken a dislike to one another. As the two begin a war of spells, enchanting each other into various objects, Wendy must undo the damage with her spell-cruncher. Eventually she puts her foot down and insists that the two meet, with unexpected results...

Originally published in 1996 and long out-of-print, The Wacky Witch War is a sweet little witchy confection, and I suspect that I would have loved it, as a young girl. It has plenty of witchy charm, and pairs an amusing story from author Ellen Jackson with delightfully quirky artwork from illustrator Denise Brunkus. I'm familiar with both of these creators - I've read other picture-books from Jackson (Beastly Babies, The Autumn Equinox), and know Brunkus' name because of her work on the Junie B. Jones chapter-book series - but only recently learned of this early venture together. Being interested in witchy picture-books, I immediately sought it out, and it did not disappoint. Younger children will enjoy watching Wendy be the mature one, in comparison to the adults in her life, and will appreciate the expressive illustrations, which are dominated by shades of purple, yellow and green, and which contain a wealth of witchy details. Recommended to picture-book readers who enjoy witchy fare.… (more)