Broom, Zoom!

A brief tussle between a girl witch and a green goblin over the use of a broom is neatly resolved in this short but absorbing story. The witch wears a too-long purple robe and a huge, pointy red hat; the goblin has ears that stick straight up and wears a diaper. Each page contains a line of monosyllabic dialogue that perfectly expresses their me-first desires. She wants the broom so she can ride up to the full moon ("Ooooooooooo!" she murmurs, gazing up at it). The goblin clutches his dustpan anxiously: "I need the broom." She responds, "I want it"; he repeats, "I need it." He opens a door to reveal spilled flour. "Yikes!" the witch says. She helps him sweep it up, then offers to give him a ride. Now it's his turn to say "Yikes!" Cohen's (Everything Is Different at Nonna's House) text carries just the right degree of force, and Ruzzier (Hey, Rabbit!) uses line and color effectively in his drawings to convey the small world in which the witch and the goblin live. Readers will easily recognize themselves in this duo. Ages 2–6. (Aug.)