The Little Witch. ( Ab 6 J.).

This was my favourite book when I was growing up and I couldn't wait to read it to my daughter. Still, I was amazed that the story could be enjoyed by an adult as well as a 4 year old. The only minus side of it is the un-PC cruelty to the protagonist in the second-last chapter (which I edited out for my daughter).

This children's book is the story of a "young" witch in Germany who is ostracised by her sisters for being a "bad" witch. She decides to become a good witch which she thinks means doing good deeds and using her spells and magic for good. And so begin her series of adventures, with each chapter relating how she stumbles upon and rights some wrong or does some good deed, all in her quirky manner and with a cynical and wise raven at her side. The didactic nature may be a bit over the top for older children but there's still fun exploration of the traditional fairy tale landscape but subverted with the idea of a "good" witch. A good humoured if simple book. Oh and my edition had fabulous illustrations which were half the fun of reading this as a kid.