How to Catch a Witch

Starred review from June 1, 2022

PreS-Gr 2-A creepy, silly story about the neighborhood children trying to trick a mischievous witch into leaving their town before the end of Halloween night. In this return to Walstead's "How to Catch" series, the children prepare themselves for Halloween by putting on their costumes. As they set out to go trick or treating, they notice ghosts, ghouls, and goblins. "But there aren't enough kids in our town to account for this many creatures. Some of these beings just might be real!" The children discover that a witch has come to their town to cause mischief, and she has brought the creatures with her. The children go about setting traps like a "Busting Best Moves" dance competition where they hope the witch will get stuck to the floor by spiderwebs. When that doesn't work, they create a tunnel of tricks as a roadblock, but the witch outsmarts them by flying over it. Just when the kids are about to give up, the witch opens a portal, and all the goblins and ghosts disappear from the neighborhood. Words and text rhyme neatly alongside beautifully animated illustrations that incorporate vibrant children's costumes, as well as ghouls, ghosts, and witches. As with the other titles in this series, Walstead integrates STEAM-like activities that children can construct using typical household items, such as using a cardboard box to create a booby trap for the witch. VERDICT A great addition to any children's room Halloween collection.-Annmarie Braithwaite

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2022
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series' formula. Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters' efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids--a pulley and box snare, a "Tunnel of Tricks." Eventually they accept her invitation to "floss, bump, and boogie," concluding "the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There's no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!" The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary--a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn't enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)

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