BOOK REVIEW: Witch’s Cat Wanted-Apply Within by Joy H. Davidson & Nikki Slade Robinson

BOOK REVIEW: Witch’s Cat Wanted-Apply Within by Joy H. Davidson & Nikki Slade Robinson

Scholastic
September 2016
Paperback, $15.99
Reviewed by Steph O’Connell

Picture Book

8/10

 

The pleasant witch at the center of our tale has everything needed to be a good witch – witch’s hat, broom, and cauldron – but she doesn’t have a cat. Every witch needs a cat.

She posts a sign, and then interviews each cat to turn up.

 

Could you ride on my brook across the moon, 

and stir my cauldron with a wooden spoon?

Could you live in a house with toads and lizards, 

and feast each day on animal gizzards?

Could you remember my spells from beginning to end?

But, most of all, will you be my friend?

 

But none of them are just right, whether it be a problem with riding on a broom, eating the specified diet, or a particularly bad memory, each is turned down. 

The witch, at her wit’s end, seeks advice from her cauldron. It sends her to the SPCA where she finds a tatty old cat down on her luck and skilled in all the areas the witch is looking for.

 

This is a gorgeous story, in terms of rhyme, illustration, and the message about old cats needing a second chance. A message that can be stretched to any “second hand” animal, undoubtedly, and which turns this heartwarming story into something more substantial. 

It’s cute, and funny, and sweet, but it’s also a valuable lesson for all young animal-lovers.

 

 

 

Category: Book Reviews, Other Reviews