Winnie and Wilbur: The Festival of Witches PB & audio

By Author / Illustrator

Valerie Thomas, Korky Paul

Genre

Friends and family

Age range(s)

Publisher

Oxford University Press

ISBN

9780192783837

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

02-03-2023

Synopsis

Winnie and Wilbur are on their annual visit to the Worldwide Witches' Festival, meeting witches (and their cats) from all over the globe! They have a wonderful time partying, dancing and learning new spells. When the festival is over, Winnie and Wilbur hop on their broomstick and zoom off on a magical mystery tour to visit their new friends in a tropical treehouse, a castle by the sea and a house on top of a mountain! When they arrive back home, it's much too quiet-but then there's a knock at the door...

A jubilant and joyful story celebrating diversity and friendship, as Winnie and Wilbur discover how magical it is to make new friends and be part of a global community of witches. Korky Paul's intricate and spellbinding artwork is full of fun, mischief and mayhem!

Scan the QR code in the book to hear the story with music and sound effects! The best-selling Winnie and Wilbur series has been delighting readers both young and old since 1987 and Winnie and Wilbur have become favourite characters in homes and schools all over the world.

Reviews

In Winnie and Wilbur: The Festival of Witches, Winnie the Witch and her big black cat Wilbur pack their suitcase for a very special holiday. Every year they go to the Worldwide Witches' Festival. These wonderfully illustrated, familiar characters are off on another amazing adventure.

This is a fantastically joyful story that celebrates diversity and friendship, as Winnie and Wilbur discover how magical it is to make new friends and be part of a global community of witches. This story would be a wonderful launch pad to discussions about different cultures, communities and traditions, how they all weave together to enrich our lives.

Hours could be spent analysing Korky Paul's intricate and colourful artwork which is full of fun, mischief and mayhem! There are so many small details and interesting characters which could be used in creative writing, writing descriptions or stories of what they were doing and where they were going. Pupils could describe the party, write invitations or lists of what Winnie might need.

The Festival of Witches is a fantastic addition to the Winnie the Witch series and will be enjoyed by thousands of children. Definitely a must read; the addition of music is just magical.

Picture book / Reviewed by Amanda Shipton, teacher