The Old Witch and the Wizard by Ida DeLage

The Old Witch and the Wizard Reviews

• 
  Abigail

  The Old Witch returns in this seventh picture-book devoted to her adventures, carefully shielding the secret of her magic brew from Wizard, who shows up one day in front of her cave, his extraordinary cat in tow, and the offer of a trade in mind. Despite being impressed by Wizard's feline companion, and his superior fire-starting abilities, Old Witch remains firm, refusing to part with her cherished recipe. Fortunately, her own cat is also rather impressed, and soon a litter of three kittens appears. Does Old Witch really need four cats? At first she thinks not, but then their unusual abilities surface...
  
  It's not an accident that The Old Witch and the Wizard is my favorite thus far, of all the Old Witch books I have read! As a confirmed cat-lover, I appreciated the many moments of feline enchantment here, from the charming courtship going on right in front of the oblivious Old Witch and Wizard, to the scenes in which the kittens chase around the cave, causing adorable confusion. The artwork, done by Mimi Korach - each volume in the series seems to be illustrated by a different artist - has an appealing cartoon-like style, and is sometimes quite amusing. Needless to say, I particularly liked the scenes depicting the cats.