Call number
E WAH
Collection
Genres
Publication
Tundra Books (2021), 96 pages
Description
"Little Witch Hazel is a tiny witch who lives in the forest, helping creatures big and small. She's a midwife, an intrepid explorer, a hard worker and a kind friend. In this four-season volume, Little Witch Hazel rescues an orphaned egg, goes sailing on a raft, solves the mystery of a haunted stump and makes house calls to fellow forest dwellers. But when Little Witch Hazel needs help herself, will she get it in time? Little Witch Hazel is a beautiful ode to nature, friendship, wild things and the seasons, that only Phoebe Wahl could create: an instant classic and a book that readers will pore over time and time again."--
User reviews
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Author/illustrator Phoebe Wahl follows the eponymous Little Witch Hazel through the four seasons in this delightful picture storybook, depicting a woodland world full of enchantment and friendship. In Spring: The Orphaned Egg, Hazel cares for an abandoned egg, raising Otis the owl when he hatches.
Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest is the first book I have read from Wahl, but I certainly hope it will not be the last! I had never heard of her before having this one recommended to me, so I am glad to have that oversight corrected, as her story was engaging and her artwork simply charming. I sought this one out (and had it recommended to me) largely on the strength of my interest in witchy picture-books, but having now read it, I think Hazel is less of a witch, in the traditional sense, and more of an elf or woodland sprite. Her "magic" consists of herbal concoctions and traditional healing, rather than casting spells or enchantments. Of course, I suppose one could argue that the figure of the witch initially does come from the Wise Woman herbalist/healer archetype, so perhaps Hazel is a witch after all. Whatever the case might be, she makes an appealing little heroine, and I hope that Wahl will revisit her world, with its cast of animals and magical creatures, and its days of fun and friendship. I was reminded a bit here of the work of such greats as Elsa Beskow, as well as such books as Marilyn Nickson and Fritz Baumgartne's Nicky and His Forest Friends. Highly recommended to young fairy-tale enthusiasts, or picture-book readers who enjoy seasonal stories with some magic in them.
Show More
Summer: The Lazy Day sees our witchy heroine attempting to get some work done, only to finally give in to the relaxation and pleasure-seeking of her peers. Autumn: The Haunted Stump sees Hazel and her friends investigating a very spooky sound, and making a new friend in the process. Finally, in Winter: The Blizzard, Hazel finds herself the one in need of help, after her many good deeds aiding all of her friends. Fortunately, Otis is nearby, and all ends well...Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest is the first book I have read from Wahl, but I certainly hope it will not be the last! I had never heard of her before having this one recommended to me, so I am glad to have that oversight corrected, as her story was engaging and her artwork simply charming. I sought this one out (and had it recommended to me) largely on the strength of my interest in witchy picture-books, but having now read it, I think Hazel is less of a witch, in the traditional sense, and more of an elf or woodland sprite. Her "magic" consists of herbal concoctions and traditional healing, rather than casting spells or enchantments. Of course, I suppose one could argue that the figure of the witch initially does come from the Wise Woman herbalist/healer archetype, so perhaps Hazel is a witch after all. Whatever the case might be, she makes an appealing little heroine, and I hope that Wahl will revisit her world, with its cast of animals and magical creatures, and its days of fun and friendship. I was reminded a bit here of the work of such greats as Elsa Beskow, as well as such books as Marilyn Nickson and Fritz Baumgartne's Nicky and His Forest Friends. Highly recommended to young fairy-tale enthusiasts, or picture-book readers who enjoy seasonal stories with some magic in them.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jennybeast
Totally scratches my woodland fantasy itch -- love Hazel and her tiny gnome world and her seasonal adventures. Really love the copious use of mushrooms and the adorable fairy houses -- lots of plant details, great messages in the short stories. Delightful!
LibraryThing member villemezbrown
The only question I wanted answered was why was this witch so little, and the book does not address that at all. Instead we just march through the four seasons doing a whole lot of nothing except walking around a tiny village peopled with all sorts of elves, gnomes, and forest critters.
Any point to
p.s., Oh crap! This was just published last year? I thought it was some old junk from the 1940s.
Any point to
Show More
this simply eludes me. Bore kids to sleep at bedtime?p.s., Oh crap! This was just published last year? I thought it was some old junk from the 1940s.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SheBayBookNerd
Little Witch Hazel is set up by seasons and I love this! It's so fun to split it up and read one season one night with the anticipation of reading the next season the next night - or reading them all the way through! The illustrations are beautiful, as always, and it's fun to point out the
Show More
difference in seasons. It also shows that it's okay to have feelings, to cut back and relax, and be helpful to friends. I love this book a lot, and my kids have embraced it as well. Show Less
Awards
Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — Picturebook — 2024)
Blue Hen Book Award (Nominee — Young Readers — 2024)
Globe and Mail Top 100 Book (Picture Books — 2021)
Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 (Selection — 2022)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Fiction for Younger Readers — 2021)
Pages
96
ISBN
0735264899 / 9780735264892