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Old Black Witch #1
Old Black Witch
When Nicky and his mom buy an old New England house to turn into a tearoom, they are startled to find they must share the house with its resident troublemaker, Old Black Witch. "Boo! Scat, and Ratcha Fratch!" Old Black Witch calls out to all the tearoom visitors. Zooming about on her dilapidated broom, she manages to stir up plenty of fuss and excitement. Old Black Witch and its sequels originally sold more than one and a half million copies, now the "Blueberry Pancake Witch" is back to stay! Try your hand at serving her delicious blueberry pancakes using the bewitching recipe that's on the back cover.
34 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1963
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
October 4, 2015
When I get old, I'm going to be a witch and instead of telling the kids to get off my lawn, I'm going to scream, "Boo! Scat and Ratcha Fratch!"
Then I'll probably hit the early-bird special at Cracker Barrel and go to bed cranky.
October 22, 2018
Before there was Cranberryport (I love these books) there was the Old witch books. There are 3 in all. I find I love these too. I love the whimsy and mood that Wende brings to her stories. The publisher wraps sentences across a page turn or page to page and this is a pet peeve of mine. I hate this practice in children’s books.
A mother and son duo buy a house in New England to make into a tea room. An old black witch was asleep in the chimney for a 100 years when they move in. She tries to claim the house, but the duo move her to the attic. She is grumpy. Eventually she begins to cook pancakes (recipe at the end of the book) for the fancy ladies and they are the best around.
She sings to customers as she places food on tables:
“Boil & Bubble
Dance a jig,
If you eat all these,
You’re a Polka-dot Pig” as a joke.
I appreciated it. Another: “Boil Cauldron, Make a brew, what kind of berries make pancakes blue?”
2 thieves break in to the Tea & muffin cafe and the Old witch confronts them and turns them into toads. She is happy now & loves her work. Still, she takes days off to be ‘nasty’. (this is the 60’s so it’s not a nasty woman sort of thing, but a scary witch thing) This was back in an era when witches were almost always considered evil and the villain. It was this decade you have Bewitched, Casper and his good witch friend Wendy and this book about a witch that has a good heart with a very rough exterior. It's a great switch in the Archetype. I totally love this book. It's wonderful.
I love the artwork. I might like this series better than cranberryport, maybe. They are both very good. That New England charm is here. It’s not too sweet either as the witch is spicy. Great work and it makes me sad this is slowly being forgotten. I had to go to the Library of Congress to find this book so the kids did not read it. I would love to read this to them. There is color, energy, emotion and mood in the art. I want to own this series! I might have to buy it.
A mother and son duo buy a house in New England to make into a tea room. An old black witch was asleep in the chimney for a 100 years when they move in. She tries to claim the house, but the duo move her to the attic. She is grumpy. Eventually she begins to cook pancakes (recipe at the end of the book) for the fancy ladies and they are the best around.
She sings to customers as she places food on tables:
“Boil & Bubble
Dance a jig,
If you eat all these,
You’re a Polka-dot Pig” as a joke.
I appreciated it. Another: “Boil Cauldron, Make a brew, what kind of berries make pancakes blue?”
2 thieves break in to the Tea & muffin cafe and the Old witch confronts them and turns them into toads. She is happy now & loves her work. Still, she takes days off to be ‘nasty’. (this is the 60’s so it’s not a nasty woman sort of thing, but a scary witch thing) This was back in an era when witches were almost always considered evil and the villain. It was this decade you have Bewitched, Casper and his good witch friend Wendy and this book about a witch that has a good heart with a very rough exterior. It's a great switch in the Archetype. I totally love this book. It's wonderful.
I love the artwork. I might like this series better than cranberryport, maybe. They are both very good. That New England charm is here. It’s not too sweet either as the witch is spicy. Great work and it makes me sad this is slowly being forgotten. I had to go to the Library of Congress to find this book so the kids did not read it. I would love to read this to them. There is color, energy, emotion and mood in the art. I want to own this series! I might have to buy it.
January 18, 2020
Nick and his mom are in New England looking for a place to start a new business, a tea room. They don't have much money, but eventually buy a run down place from an unscrupulous fellow who doesn't mention that it belongs to a witch. Luckily Nick and his mom are so nice and polite and hard-working and good at baking that even a grumpy witch can't hate them.
For a very younger-reader books, there is a simple but surprisingly well-conveyed implication that Nick's mother has just been widowed or divorced (they're making what seems to be an unplanned move, in a car, with no money, and are described as "so tired" that they aren't thinking straight). And Nick, who looks 9 or 10, appears to have dropped out of school to work. I guess they used to be more lax about that.
Bonus pancake recipe.
For a very younger-reader books, there is a simple but surprisingly well-conveyed implication that Nick's mother has just been widowed or divorced (they're making what seems to be an unplanned move, in a car, with no money, and are described as "so tired" that they aren't thinking straight). And Nick, who looks 9 or 10, appears to have dropped out of school to work. I guess they used to be more lax about that.
Bonus pancake recipe.
October 6, 2011
My mother stills reads this to me sometimes (I'm turning twenty-one in two months!) I love this book. Its lost its covers and the pages have scribbles but its still my favorite book in the whole world. My mother would always do a special voice for Old Black Witch . I am proud to say I can do a decent impersonation of. It just might be my greatest accomplishment if you ask me.
October 12, 2018
When Nicky and his mother buy a dilapidated old home in a small New England village, intending to renovate it and turn it into a tearoom, they are unprepared for the original inhabitant: a sooty, snarly Old Black Witch with a penchant for getting into trouble. Soon coming to an arrangement with this cantankerous creature - Nicky's mother offers her a room in the attic, which, with all its cobwebs and dirt, suits her just fine - mother and son manage to make their tearoom a success, even involving the Old Witch, who makes a mean blueberry pancake, in their efforts. When a pair of burglars target the tearoom, the Old Witch is pleased at first - wickedness being something she approves of - until she considers the idea that, as partial proprietress, they are stealing from her as well...
Originally published in 1963, this first of three witchy picture-books from Harry and Wende Devlin - a husband-and-wife team who were also the creators of the "Cranberry" series, featuring holiday celebrations in a small New England town ( Cranberry Christmas , Cranberry Thanksgiving , etc.) - was reprinted in 2012 by Purple House Press, a small Kentucky publisher dedicated to "rescuing" older children's books that have gone out of print, but deserve (in their view) a return to circulation. I would certainly agree that Old Black Witch falls into that category, and am immensely glad that the good people at Purple House Press decided to reprint it, as my library has only the third book devoted to the Old Witch's adventures, Old Witch Rescues Halloween! , and I have been wanting to read the first. I enjoyed the humor in this story, and appreciated the ways in which the Old Black Witch was converted into a friend, without fully domesticating her, or making her too sweet. The artwork has plenty of vintage details - the 60s clothing! - and perfectly captures the madcap sense of fun in the story. Recommended to children (or adults!) who enjoy witch stories!
Originally published in 1963, this first of three witchy picture-books from Harry and Wende Devlin - a husband-and-wife team who were also the creators of the "Cranberry" series, featuring holiday celebrations in a small New England town ( Cranberry Christmas , Cranberry Thanksgiving , etc.) - was reprinted in 2012 by Purple House Press, a small Kentucky publisher dedicated to "rescuing" older children's books that have gone out of print, but deserve (in their view) a return to circulation. I would certainly agree that Old Black Witch falls into that category, and am immensely glad that the good people at Purple House Press decided to reprint it, as my library has only the third book devoted to the Old Witch's adventures, Old Witch Rescues Halloween! , and I have been wanting to read the first. I enjoyed the humor in this story, and appreciated the ways in which the Old Black Witch was converted into a friend, without fully domesticating her, or making her too sweet. The artwork has plenty of vintage details - the 60s clothing! - and perfectly captures the madcap sense of fun in the story. Recommended to children (or adults!) who enjoy witch stories!
January 10, 2017
What a fun story! Thanks again to Cheryl, knowledgeable Goodreads friend. The Devlins have written a cute story with delightful illustrations. Old Black Witch ends up being a hero in the newly renovated tea room. Even her delicious blueberry pancakes are included for the reader. This is a book definitely finding a spot on my bookshelf.
Want to Read
August 29, 2016This comes up fairly often on "name this book, based on hazy childhood memories" website Stump the Bookseller. A good source of ideas for reading material -- books posted are both reasonably obscure and fondly remembered for decades afterwards by people who are willing to shell out $1 for a shot at getting their question answered.
December 21, 2017
Reading this book repeatedly to my daughter who delights in the story and finds small marvels to wonder in the picture. A story of old and new and still a great read after all these years!
June 12, 2019
brings back happy childhood memories
October 20, 2019
Five stars, hands down. Old witch is a treasure from childhood!
August 4, 2023
Fun kids book with robbers and witches, and a blueberry pancake recipe... what more could you ask for?
August 15, 2019
A woman and her son move into an old house to turn it into a Tea House. Little do they know it is the home of an old witch. Fun story on how the witch learns to live with the boy and his mother and even enjoy it.
January 22, 2014
This is an entertaining story about a mother and son who move to New England to open up a tearoom. The house they end up purchasing has an extra feature - a witch who had been asleep for one hundred years. The story is fun to read aloud and the illustrations are colorful and cartoonish.
The librarian at our daughters' elementary school recommended this book to me and it's just as good as the stories we've come to expect from this husband and wife team who also brought us the books in the Cranberryport series. We enjoyed reading it together.
The story includes a recipe for Bewitching Blueberry Pancakes on the back cover and I've copied it below:
Bewitching Blueberry Pancakes
1 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted fat or oil
1/2 cup washed blueberries
As you stir in the blueberries (this is the magic part) say three times:
Gobble dee gook
With a wooden spoon,
The laugh of a toad
At the height of the moon!
Pour on a hot griddle and watch.
You can make things disappear just like Old Black Witch. Put three pancakes in front of any hungry boy or girl and watch them go.
The librarian at our daughters' elementary school recommended this book to me and it's just as good as the stories we've come to expect from this husband and wife team who also brought us the books in the Cranberryport series. We enjoyed reading it together.
The story includes a recipe for Bewitching Blueberry Pancakes on the back cover and I've copied it below:
Bewitching Blueberry Pancakes
1 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted fat or oil
1/2 cup washed blueberries
As you stir in the blueberries (this is the magic part) say three times:
Gobble dee gook
With a wooden spoon,
The laugh of a toad
At the height of the moon!
Pour on a hot griddle and watch.
You can make things disappear just like Old Black Witch. Put three pancakes in front of any hungry boy or girl and watch them go.
October 28, 2024
Between Old Witch and the Polka-Dot Ribbon and Cranberry Thanksgiving, the Devlins' books were a huge part of the holidays for my family when I was a kid. I have a deep, nostalgic connection with the art and also with the stories that combine dark(ish) outsider characters and vibes with the coziness of fireplaces, plaid tablecloths, and warm baked goods. Each book also includes a recipe for an item mentioned in the story, and my mom made regular use of those. So these books also bring back great memories of smells and tastes.
We didn't have Old Black Witch in our library for some reason, but I've read it since at some point and decided to finally get my own copy this Halloween season. The art is as lovely as I remember and I still have a strong connection with the theme of different kinds of people living and working together, with kindness, understanding, and good manners winning the day.
We didn't have Old Black Witch in our library for some reason, but I've read it since at some point and decided to finally get my own copy this Halloween season. The art is as lovely as I remember and I still have a strong connection with the theme of different kinds of people living and working together, with kindness, understanding, and good manners winning the day.
September 4, 2014
Delightful! Loved the descriptions such as "lemon moon."I am a big fan of Wende and Harry Devlin. The Cranberry series is wonderfully quirky and I enjoy the recipes on the back cover. A friend had recommended "Old Black Witch!"and I know it will be a favorite book to read during the fall and Halloween season. This book also has a recipe on the back cover for blueberry pancakes. It is part of the story so I love the tie-in. The illustrations are wonderful. So glad they put this book back in print. I would love to collect all the books by the Devlins.
October 25, 2015
Old Black Witch! is the first book Wende and Harry Devlin created together. Nicky and his mother buy an old house to convert into a tea room. Unknowingly, they have bought the house of Old Black Witch who has been asleep for a hundred years. Will they be able to get along, share the house, and run the tea room? Read the book to find out! At the end of the book (or on the back cover) there is a recipe for the tea room's famous blueberry pancakes. I remember making these when I was little and they were delicious. JM (Utica)
August 8, 2015
Doubtless as un-PC as a title can possibly be, I must admit that this is my most fondly remembered book from childhood. Everytime I am in a used book store I look for it as it's had a lasting impression on me--and quite possibly why blueberry pancakes are my favorite breakfast. Just found it on Amazon and am going to purchase a copy for my husband who, incidentally, makes some pretty mean pancakes of his own :)
September 2, 2012
I personally did not like this book very much. The story was very long, and I was bored after reading several pages. If this story was shorter, I would probably like it a little more. Also I did not like the illustrations mostly being only in black and white. Some of the story explained the colors of the house, but all I saw was black and white. The pages that included color were plain or lacking something.
June 2, 2011
A great book I loved as a child, and read to my children now.
A lot of people have mentioned the story in their reviews—I would like to gush over the art. Harry Devlin's pen and ink drawings have a scratchy quality about them that really fits the setting of this book, as well as the old black witch herself. They are about half color and half black-and-white, and they are all wonderful.
A lot of people have mentioned the story in their reviews—I would like to gush over the art. Harry Devlin's pen and ink drawings have a scratchy quality about them that really fits the setting of this book, as well as the old black witch herself. They are about half color and half black-and-white, and they are all wonderful.
February 13, 2015
Not as good as I hoped, but still cute. A little boy and his mom move into a broken down old house and plan to turn it into a tearoom, but as the boy cleans out the fireplace, he discovers old black witch! Old Black Witch says this is HER house and she wants them out, but soon she's whipping up blueberry pancakes and foiling thieves!
October 21, 2015
I just finished reading this for the first time to a little boy I was babysitting. It was a delight! Such a charming book with all the enchantment of the 1960s (especially the art). And in the back there's a recipe for homemade blueberry pancakes which I fully intended on making, maybe I'll update my review and tell you how it is. I'm honesty thinking of buying this book to add to my collection!
March 4, 2008
Five stars for good memories. I've loved cooking all my life and this book got my attention as a child. My kids all like it and we read it while making the famous blueberry pancakes recipie in the back of the book. A fun read...now dated, but still fun.
September 13, 2008
Still one of my favorite books. On the back of the book is a recipe for "bewitching blueberry pancakes." I made them as a child and so has every child I've ever read it to. It's a big winner at storytime at school or the library.
November 10, 2008
Another childhood favorite. Livvy finds it scary sometimes, but I have always loved it. It has a fun little pancake recipe at the back. (Good luck finding this. The first time I looked for it the only copy I could find was $70).
April 27, 2012
#1 Favorite as a kid. Old Black Witch is the best! My mom used to get really in to it and do different voices for everyone. We both still hold it near and dear. When my rabbit chewed its spine, I felt like serving him to Old Black Witch for dinner!
July 8, 2013
I still have my 1966 edition of this classic. My mom would make blueberry muffins ( you will get it ,if ya read book ! ) and read this to me over and over ...........couldn't get enough ! Read it to my kids now ,and hopefully their kids will enjoy it too !
December 20, 2013
I had been trying to remember the title of this old book for years. My Grandma had a copy and I would read it over, and over. I have very fond memories of this book and wish she still had it to pass on to me now.
April 12, 2015
Things I like about this book: he characters move house, as opposed to just having a static background; the single mother starts a very successful small business; Old Black Witch is neither a good guy nor a bad guy--more like chaotic neutral.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2015
When I first read the book to my daughters I never thought that they would ask me to read it to them. It's wonderful to have a book make an impact on a new generation.
I think I should make pancakes now?
I think I should make pancakes now?
October 17, 2015
a childhood favorite that I rediscovered through the glorious means of inter library loan. I shared it with the kids today and will now have to make blueberry pancakes for dinner tomorrow. I best order this book for my own collection stat!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews