Old Black Witch!

by Harry Devlin and Wende Devlin

Book Overview

When Nicky and his mom buy an old New England house to turn into a tearoom, they are startled to find they must share the house with its resident troublemaker, Old Black Witch. "Boo! Scat, and Ratcha... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0007DKKDC
• ISBN13: 9780590077859
• Release Date: January 1980
• Publisher: Four Winds Press
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A childhood favorite-so happy to find it again.

She is a "cackling" old thing who helps them ( Nicky and his mother) almost despite herself. Love her spunk!

RACIST???? I think not!

Why do people with an ax to grind find the need to extrude fault with something as innocent and as charming as this book? AND INDEED, IT IS A VERY CHARMING AND LOVELY BOOK! The word police seem to be at it again. Since when does the WORD "black" ONLY refer to a specific ethnicity? That idea in and of itself may be construed as racist and in my opinion reveals the true bias of some previous reviewers. This amusing book will certainly do no harm to anyone's children and will very likely be enjoyed by the adult reader as well. Don't forget to try those blueberry pancakes, as they are not to be missed!

All time favorite

As a child I delighted in both the story and the pictures in this wonderful book. As an adult, I love sharing this book with my two children, both of whom count this book as an all time favorite. My daughter and I have made the pancakes from this book and the magic nut cake from "Old Witch and the Polka Dot Ribbon" many a time. And for some reason, when she is sick or sad, this is still the first book she drags out for comfort. Me too. To this day I love to snuggle down under a mountain of covers in a cold room on a dark stormy night just like old witch. I don't know why, but this book is a source of comfort as well as plain old pleasure, in our family. And this book is in no way racist at all. As a scholar who has studied the history of racism in America, I do not believe there is any racism in this book--except for the fact that everyone in it is white. This is more a reflection however of the descrimination and separation present in American society, rather than any perpetuation of negative stereotypes.

Bewitching from cover to cover!

This is undeniably my favorite book of all time.I don't say this lightly. Wende and Harry Devlin's Old Black Witch is the first book that I have any memory of. If I'm feeling low, I still get it out and give it a quick read, even today. It still brings a smile. You could say this book is my oldest friend.My copy has seen more wear and abuse than any book should. Not only did I draw on it (on almost every page) but I also took it into the bath tub, added a few of my own crayola styled illustrations and cut pages out--removing them to cut out the Old Black Witch herself, so I would have a facsimile to play with.Several years ago, I spotted a paperback reprint and bought one for myself and my nephew. He was completely indifferent to it. I guess a pancake making New England Witch can't compete with Pokémon in the eyes of a modern child.....but she sure wins out with me.If you ever find a copy of this, do yourself a favor and grab hold of it.The pancake recipe on the back is great too!

A wonderful, touching lesson in kindness and tolerance.

Not many books my children had read to them as little ones made any impression. Old Black Witch did. We read that book so many times the cover disappeared. The illustrations are wonderful and the story of the triumph of a single mom was certainly ahead of its time. The book is a great model of tolerance and cooperation.

Remembering an old friend.

I first read Old Black witch when I was seven years old. That was thirty two years ago. I recently ran across the book at the library while there with my eight year old daughter. I was so delighted to see her again with her fat little body, beedy eyes and funny pointed shoes. As I read this book to my own daughter. I found myself falling in love with it all over again. When old black witch makes her room in the dusty attic, complaining all the way, she sits upon a cozy patch work quilt. Her head is tilted, looking into the spider web above her bed for comfort. My heart breaks for the funny little wonderful creature that she is, and how wonderfully she is represented in the illustrations. Old Black Witch speaks volumes about the unspoken love between children and their elders, especially those elders who may not be as demonstrative as they could be. Though old black witch is grumpy and difficult, Nickey knows that "she really is a good witch." And we know that Old Black Witch loves Nickey and will always watch over him. The story is a simple one, nicely told, of a displaced boy and his mother looking for a life. They find a family and a place in the world when they enter the domain of Old Black Witch. What really makes this story magical though are the illustrations, filled with bright 1960's color and detail and yet they are timeless. Just the tilt of OBW's head as she sits upon that quilt is and will always be a master piece to me. I'm so glad to see she's still around.