I Am a Witch’s Cat

In Muncaster’s tongue-in-cheek debut, a girl dressed in a head-to-toe cat costume explains how she knows her mother is actually a witch. For starters, she keeps “strange potion bottles in the bathroom that I am NOT allowed to touch,” and “when her friends come over, they sit in a circle and cackle and swap spell books.” The gentle “witch” in question has bouncy red curls, and Muncaster’s illustrations—photographs of delicate miniature models with cut-out props made from cloth, paper, and other media—often reveal the truth behind the girl’s statements; the “bubbling, hissing potions” cooking away in the kitchen look more like vegetable soup. Muncaster’s miniatures create an alluring backdrop for this ode to creative, capable mothers and their adoring familiars... er, children. And the story doesn’t shut the door to the possibility of real magic, either. Ages 4–8. Agent: Jodie Hodges, United Agents. (Aug.)