Synopsis (from Random House)
It's the coldest night of the year and an eerie figure floats into a young girl's house. It is the Cold Water Witch and she's searching for someone to take her place as the ruler of a lonely, distant, frozen land. But the Cold Water Witch isn't prepared for the spunky child who awaits her. In the rewarding tradition of the classic fairy tale, this battle of wits between a young girl and a witch takes an unexpected turn, and readers discover that the magic of friendship is the greatest magic of all.
The illustrations were beautiful, and the story was captivating; but unfortunately, the friendship that emerges between the girl and the witch at the end of the book was not enough to scare away bad dreams for both my five year old AND for me!
I can't remember the last time a children's book has caused me to have a bad dream, but this witch came looking for me too, so when my 5 year old son came into my room scared at 4 in the morning, I didn't hesitate to curl up with him until dawn.
After the first few pages, I wasn't sure whether to close the book, or to read as fast as I could so I could get to the (hopefully) happy ending. Yes, we were given a happy ending, but not soon enough, and as it was, the friendship between the girl and the witch was barely believable. Anyone who scared me and tried to trap me in the freezer would never get to be my friend. Nope. No way. On the up side, I got to talk to my son about what a good friend was and what a bad friend was.
I think the part that really put me off was the part about the witch and the little girl trying to trick each other into the freezer.
I'm sorry, but I didn't like this children's book.
Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.
About the Book:
The Cold Water Witch by Yannick D. Murphy
Illustrations by Tom Lintern
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Tricycle Press; 1 edition (August 10, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1582463301
ISBN-13: 978-1582463308
About the Author:
YANNICK MURPHY was raised in Manhattan, attended Hampshire College, and then New York University for graduate school. She currently teaches library and technology at a small elementary school and writes a monthly children's book review for her local paper. Cold Water Witch is her third picture book. Yannick lives in Reading, Vermont.
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