The Little Witch who lost her broom!

Bickell's jaunty onomatopoeia-filled couplets track a witch trialing alternative modes of transportation while searching for her lost broom in this seek-and-find story. After discovering that the broom is missing, Little Witch, portrayed with pale skin, races to find transport before the moon rises, hitting the road first on foot, then by scooter, bike, digger, train, and plane. Each time, companion kitty Gloom's name presents a ready rhyme for the optimistic questioning refrain: "Look, here's a digger! Let's use this, Gloom./ Maybe a digger's as good as a broom?" When each vehicle proves equally unsuitable, the plane seems poised to be the ideal replacement, but after the gas runs low, the protagonist must turn to readers for help ("Do you know where to look?"). McGrath's etching-textured artwork combines with the fast-paced text for a go-go-go game of seasonal hide-and-seek. Ages 4--8. (Aug.)

The creators of The Little Ghost Who Lost Her Boo! (2020) tell the story of a witch who must consider other transport options when her standard vehicle disappears. Little Witch can't wait to ride her broom during the full moon tonight. She goes to dust it off, but it's gone. She searches everywhere, even in her cauldron. The witch must find the broom before moonrise. Accompanied by her cat, Gloom, Little Witch takes to the streets. "Maybe a scooter's as good as a broom?" But when she realizes Gloom won't fit, she concludes, "A witch with no cat, / it's just not right. / I cannot ride / a scooter tonight." She test-drives a bike, a digger, and a train but ultimately rejects each one; each time, Bickell employs a variation on the earlier rhyme. What's a witch to do? In a metafictive final twist, Little Witch gazes out at readers from the book and asks if they know where her broom is. Yes, they do (thanks to the illustrated hint). Children will enjoy this lively, unusual Halloween story, first published in New Zealand, and will particularly appreciate the unexpected, interactive ending. The tale is told in serviceable but somewhat clunky verse; the illustrations incorporate onomatopoeic sound effects. McGrath's graceful artwork is populated by mummies, ghosts, and other sweetly scary creatures. Expressive, bespectacled Little Witch is light-skinned. A real treat, ready to be swept up from Halloween-display shelves. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.