The old witch and the snores

The Old Witch #4

by Ida DeLage, Gil Miret (Illustrator)

The old witch finds her privacy disturbed when a snoring bear hibernates in her cave.

46 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a sleepy bear invades her hillside cave, dropping off to sleep despite all of her efforts to rouse him and evict him from her home, the eponymous Old Witch is driven almost wild by his snores. Every stratagem she employs to wake the ursine intruder, or to put a stop to his snoring proves futile, until finally she involves a far-off giant, offering him some of her brew in exchange for his services in removing the bear. When her home is finally cleared, the Old Witch herself drops off to sleep and (of course!) begins to snore...

The fourth picture-book devoted to the doings of the Old Witch - Ida DeLage's series began in 1966 with The Farmer and the Witch , and concluded in 1984 with the fourteenth title, The Old Witch and the Crows - The Old Witch and the Snores is also the second to be illustrated by Gil Miret. The story here is moderately engaging, although not really a stand-out. When it comes to witchy picture-books, this entire series isn't really a stand-out, although I do find it interesting that the Old Witch, although rarely depicted as evil, is also almost never depicted as sweet. Recommended primarily to those who have read and enjoyed other books in Ida DeLage's series about this crotchety old witch.