Precious and the Boo Hag

This has to become an all time classic. I had a cafeteria full of elementary students mesmerized with this book while I read to them during lunch. The fifth graders liked it as much as the first. The kids want to hear it again and again. I wish I could afford to gift it to all of my students. Wondrously written!

My three girls read this book over and over again. They identify with the fear and love the way that Precious doesn't fall for the Boo Hag's tricks. It's a great story for my girls' ages: 8,9, and 11.

This is a must if you real aloud to kids. Kids walking by the library a week later could be heard singing the little ditty inside (you'll have to make up your own tune). I read it to Kindergarten through Fifth grades and they all loved it.

Don't let strangers in your house. How much clearer could a person be? Stranger at the door? Don't let them in! End of story. Now you wouldn't always know it, but that kind of admonishment can lead to all sorts of interesting situations and stories. Every year I keep track of all the picture books that win the major awards. Not just the Caldecott, mind you, but also the American Library Association's Best Books of the Year, the Boston-Globe Horn Book Awards, the School Library Journal list, etc. I keep a sharp eye out for any book that manages to get a toehold on as many lists as possible. In 2005 all the regulars were there. Your "Hello, Goodbye Window"s and your "Zen Shorts". But one of the books listed was an unassuming little number by children's author extraordinaire Patricia McKissack entitled, "Precious and the Boo Hag". It didn't get the press it deserved and it was too modest to draw attention to itself, but this little number was one of the best-loved books of the year. A wonderful tale of a young girl outwitting a powerful but not particularly clever boo hag, the book draws together all kinds of great classic storytelling elements without ever becoming bogged down or clunky under its narrative. A ruby in the dust. One day Precious suffers from a horrible stomachache all night without cease. Her mother allows her stay home for the day but warns her not to open the front door for anyone. In fact, Precious's brother agrees with this advice and tells his little sister that she should watch out for the Boo Hag. "She's tricky and she's scary, and she tries to make you disobey yo' mama". Sure enough, once the family is gone Precious sees the terrifying sight of a nasty creature riding on the back of an approaching storm. It's Pruella the Boo Hag and she wants into Precious's house. When the intimidation technique doesn't work, Precious soon finds a strange woman on her porch asking for a drink. Pure water, however, reveals the woman to be nothing more than a disguised Pruella. Soon the boo hag is back, this time as Precious's friend Addie Louise and then finally as a shiny penny. By the time her family is back, Precious has outsmarted Pruella and can go to bed. "As you listen to her gentle breathing, look closely in the branches outside Precious's window. You may just see a strange and scary creature ... waiting to get in!". The end? McKissack has a gift with language that never grows dreary. I'm always on the lookout for picture books to read aloud to groups, and it seems to me that "Precious" has a lot of good things going for it. For one thing, Precious has a victory song she likes to sing after each encounter with her nemesis that contains a catchy little rhythm. It goes, "Pruella is a Boo Hag - she's right outside my window. She's tricky and she's scary, but I won't let her in!". If you get can the kids in your audience to join in on the "I WON'T LET HER IN!" with enthusiasm, the book's going to be one

My daughter (kindergartener) and I have been having so much fun with this book. We take turns being the Boo Hag and trying to trick each other into bad behavior-- because that's what Boo Hags do, you know! And while the Editorial Reviewers have done a fine job summarizing the plot, they overlook the fact that you can use this story to talk about conscience and impulse control. Perhaps not in exactly those terms, but in Mom and kid terms. We've talked about children behaving badly on the playground, concluding that they must have been `listening to that ole Boo Hag." And how they should have listened to their 'conscience' which knows better than to act up and misbehave. Five Stars. Fun story. Good Read-aloud. See the Editorial Reviewers for a good description of the story. Good opportunity here to speak to children about right and wrong.