The witching hour

Jennifer Harris, 1971-

Book - 2025

"In the witching hour between dinner and bedtime, anything can happen: laughter, tears, fun screaming, not-fun screaming . . . all parents, siblings, pets and neighbors are familiar with this dreaded time of day. What happens when that cranky baby is part of a family of witches? Turns out, it's pretty much the same, except sometimes the toys levitate and the soothing songs sound a little different . . . A spare, slyly funny and deeply familiar slice-of-life story featuring a fussy little witch and their increasingly desperate family."--

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Fiction
Romans
Published
Toronto : Tundra 2025.
Language
English
Main Author
Jennifer Harris, 1971- (author)
Other Authors
Adelina Lirius (illustrator)
Physical Description
pages cm
Issued also in electronic format
ISBN
9781774884409
Contents unavailable.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

"Anything can happen in the witching hour," as one family learns while soothing their disgruntled baby. This cozy picture book opens with a lush woodland spread depicting a home carved into a large tree. Inside, two parents (both long-haired, clad in skirts, and wearing acorns or flower petals as hats) and their little ones sit at a table. When the sun sets, it's time for the witching hour. The world goes "topsy-turvy," and anything is possible. After the baby spills a bottle on the table and cries with increasing volume, the family tries different ways of consoling the youngster, from swaying on a levitating broomstick to creating a magical parade of floating toys. Adults and older siblings will delight in the familiar, non-magical soothing tactics the characters try as well, such as bathing the child and offering snacks and favorite stuffed animals. Though a woodpecker's "knock at the door" starts the baby crying again, and the parents' faces begin looking more and more tired, sleep finally arrives. "The witching hour is over." Each scene looks awash with magic, with detailed strokes created on vibrant backgrounds. Together, the art and the delightfully alliterative text result in a tale that's both mystical and intimate. One parent is brown-skinned, while the other is light-skinned; the children are tan-skinned. A bewitching bedtime story sure to charm the whole family.(Picture book. 3-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.