The Little Witch Who Lost Her Broom!

Bickell’s jaunty onomatopoeia-filled couplets track a witch trialing alternative modes of transportation while searching for her lost broom in this seek-and-find story. After discovering that the broom is missing, Little Witch, portrayed with pale skin, races to find transport before the moon rises, hitting the road first on foot, then by scooter, bike, digger, train, and plane. Each time, companion kitty Gloom’s name presents a ready rhyme for the optimistic questioning refrain: “Look, here’s a digger! Let’s use this, Gloom./ Maybe a digger’s as good as a broom?” When each vehicle proves equally unsuitable, the plane seems poised to be the ideal replacement, but after the gas runs low, the protagonist must turn to readers for help (“Do you know where to look?”). McGrath’s etching-textured artwork combines with the fast-paced text for a go-go-go game of seasonal hide-and-seek. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)