The Not-So-Wicked Witch
Bethan Stevens
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

This is a delightful play on the wicked witch trope with a young protagonist who puzzles the other little witches by not joining in with their trouble-making deeds that include such things as eating the very last biscuit in the tin and pinching one of your favourite socks.. Because of this, the baddy brigade decides that the littlest witch needs to be rescued from ‘all this icky, gooey goodness’.

The lessons in wickedness commence with upsetting children at meal times, which fails dismally. Next location is a birthday party – what better place for a spot of wickedness?

Our littlest witch is instructed to acquire various items for a potion that will enable them to steal all the marshmallows (their favourite ever food) from the party.

What happens however is rather different: the littlest witch concocts her own sweet recipe and sabotages the plans of the would-be marshmallow stealers.

The result is that the wicked little witches finally learn that ‘kindness beats wickedness’ …

With detailed illustrations of the enchanting kind, a thoroughly endearing little witch who doesn’t fit the mischief-making mould, a wealth of speech bubbles for the adult reader aloud to dramatise, young human listeners will delight in watching as the littlest witch teaches everyone that goodness is the way to go.