Die schlaue kleine Hexe

Lotje/Lizzy #5

by Lieve Baeten

Hokuspokus Hexenstich, kleiner Koffer öffne dich! Eines Tages findet Lisbet einen Koffer vor ihrem Hexenhaus. Sie möchte zu gerne wissen, was drin ist, aber so oft sie ihren Zauberspruch auch aufsagt: Der Koffer bleibt zu. Und weder die Doktorhexe noch die Reisehexe können ihr helfen, denn der Koffer ist nur für große Hexen. Das mag Lisbet nicht auf sich sitzen lassen. Und weil sie schlau ist, schafft sie es mit einem Trick, den Koffer zu öffnen. Im Inneren findet sie einen geheimnisvollen Brief. Mit einem echten Brief zum Aufklappen im Buch. Lieve Baeten kam 2001 bei einem Autounfall ums Leben. Dieses Bilderbuch war zum damaligen Zeitpunkt schon weit fortgeschritten und wurde jetzt von ihrem Sohn Wietse Fossey vollendet.

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Childrens, Magic, School, Fantasy, Holiday

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

Lieve Baeten was a Flemish author and illustrator, best known for her picture-book series about Lotje, the curious little witch. She studied graphic design at the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts, and married Koen Fossey in 1976.

Baeten's stories about Lotje (Patou in French, Die kleine Hexe in German, and Lizzie in English) have been translated into fourteen languages, and the author/artist has received several important prizes, from the "Boekenpauw" in 1993 for Nieuwsgierige Lotje (The Curious Little Witch), to the "Kinderboekwinkelprijs" in 1995 for Lotje is Jarig (Happy Birthday, Little Witch!).

Baeten was killed in a car accident in 2001.

Reviews

[♡ Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisbet ist eine kleine Hexe, die sehr neugierig ist. Als sie eines Tages einen Koffer vor ihrem Haus findet, möchte sie ihn unbedingt öffnen. Leider gelingt es ihr nicht mit ihren Hexsprüchen, und auch andere Hexen können ihr nicht helfen. Der Koffer bleibt verschlossen. Doch Lisbet ist hartnäckig und schlau. Schließlich schafft sie es doch und findet im Koffer einen Brief...
❤️ Eine sehr süße Bilderbuch-Geschichte für Kinder ab vier. Die Illustrationen sind sehr schön und detailreich, wenn auch etwas blasser als in vielen anderen Kinderbüchern. Ein bisschen kräftiger hätten die Farben hier für mich sein dürfen, aber das ist Geschmackssache. Die Geschichte ist auf jeden Fall zauberhaft.

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series about Little Witch has endeared itself to me. I love them. Lieve creates tone and mood and Little Witch is a fantastic character. In this one a suitcase ends up on her doorstep and she can't open it. She goes all over to open it. Finally, she figures out how to open it all on her own. She follows the instructions and ends up at Witch School where the suitcase was meant for a much older and smarter witch, but she had to be clever to open it.

Once again, there are two large open up pages where we have a scene set and you read and to see the action you open the page. My nephew adores these. He can't wait to open them. Besides this being about witches, it's not really a Halloween book, but it's a good time to read it still. The niece really enjoyed this book to. She gave it 4 stars and she likes her witch costume better than Little Witch. The Nephew gave it 4 stars as well and he thought it a clever book. He used that word clever.

I hope there are more of these. I have only found 4 and I want to read more. I'm going to see what else Lieve has in English. She has some skill.

[Matthieu Wegh · Rating 4 out of 5]

? Ik las dit boek vele jaren later weer eens en toen pas viel het mij op dat de auteur toen al overleden was en haar zoon dit onafgemaakte deeltje na haar tragische dood bij een auto-ongeluk afgemaakt heeft.
#fantasy
🤔Over de heksenschool, deed me ook weer aan Harry Potter denken. Ik wil het eerste deel van Harry Potter, waar ik de film natuurlijk ook van gezien heb, ooit nog een keer lezen.
MW29/7/24

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

That adventuresome little witch Lizzy, who made her picture-book debut in Lieve Baeten's The Curious Little Witch , and who has also appeared in Up and Away with the Little Witch! and Happy Birthday, Little Witch! , once again takes to the skies in The Clever Little Witch, attempting to discover the secrets of the little pink suitcase deposited on her doorstep one evening. Impervious to her opening spell - "Hocus-pocus, witch's ride, / Little suitcase, open wide!" - the suitcase remains determinedly closed (although everything else pops open), and all the witches that Lizzy consults, from the Witch Doctor at the hospital, to the Traveling Witch at the train station, inform her that it is "the little suitcase for big witches." Will Lizzy ever get the suitcase open? If and when she does, what will it reveal...?

Although it is only the fourth of Baeten's five "Little Witch" books to be translated into English - De Kerstboom Van Lotje has yet to appear, although I have high hopes that it will, this coming holiday season! - The Clever Little Witch ("Slimme Lotje" in the original Dutch) appears to be the last story written, and was published posthumously, after the author's tragic death in a car accident in 2001. Found amongst Baeten's papers, with outline illustrations that were completed by her son, Wietse Fossey, it is every bit as engaging as its predecessors, with the same charming details of story and artwork, as well as some of the same innovative paper engineering. In addition to pages that fold-out to twice the length of the book, permitting a fuller landscape view, there is a fold-out letter here, which Lizzy reads once the suitcase is opened, and which leads to a wonderful new world! I loved that the suitcase, which tantalizes our witchy heroine, eventually leads to witch school, as this points to the (potentially) enchanting nature of that institution!

All in all, a worthy addition to this wonderfully witchy series! I mourn the fact that Baeten's life was cut tragically short, both for the human tragedy of her untimely death, and for the fact that I feel that she could have created so many more tales about Lizzy (Lotje) the Little Witch. Perhaps her son will continue the series...?

[Angelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great illustrations but the story was a bit repetitive and not particularly exciting.

[Neele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meiner Meinung nach das zweitbeste Buch nach der neugierigen kleinen Hexe. Der Koffer löst Gefühle in mir aus.

[kunstlesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kinderheitserinnerung pur💛🧙🏻‍♀️
Wie ich diese Bücher geliebt habe! Auch jetzt finde ich noch, dass das wirklich wundervolle Kinderbücher sind✨

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darling illustrations accompany this wonderful story of a young witch who can't open a suitcase. She tries the opening spell several times, causing doors, windows, other suitcases and a variety of other things to open...but the suitcase stays shut. She is told by others that this is the little suitcase for big witches and she won't be able to open it until she is big enough. The clever little witch will keep trying...but will she succeed?

[Jvermeersch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wij zijn fan van alle Lotjes: mooi geïllustreerd, vol getover, altijd een mysterieuze zoektocht met vanalles te ontdekken. Prachtig om in deze meerdere locaties te zien. En die brief, die maakte nog éxtra nieuwsgierig. Plezant om samen in te duiken.

[Anna Nesterovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books about Lotje (Lizzy for some reason in English translation) are all absolutely amazing! The illustrations alone provide an endless entertainment. I only wish the translation would be better or I could get the original. Calling Lotje "the Clever Witch" is annoying. We only learn her name four pages in. Why? Isn't it normal to first learn the name of a person you are talking with?

[Azet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found a swedish edition of the book in the local library.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the others in this series, the book consists of a story coupled with some kind of unusual cut of paper. In this book, every couple of pages has a pull out page to illustrate how a room has changed after a spell. For example, on one right hand page has a discussion with a doctor and the left hand page shows a tidy hospital room. Halfway through a spell is cast and when you open the full page sized flap, the page illustrates a chaotic mess on the double spread. One page has a letter to open.

The story is simple but cute, the drawings are absolutely adorable and the message is nice: keep trying and thinking hard. The little witch eventually figures it out and is told she's clever. She later says to herself that she has always been clever. She has healthy self-esteem.

I really enjoyed the book but in particularly my kids really loved the part in the beginning when the little witch is teaching her cat math. "One wee-wee plus another wee-wee make..." She's sitting on the toilet. The book is so matter of fact. I love books written in other countries. Here the book could be about potty but I don't recall one where the character uses taking a pee to count and then moves on.

I love it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice back-to-school book, The Clever Little Witch may also be a nice book to share with younger siblings who are have been told "You are too young.". As the little witch tries and tries to unlock a mysterious suitcase, Baeton and Fossey's illustrations will be fun to pour over, looking for everything "opened" (even a flower bloomed!). Although the text is not as strong as the illustrations, in my opinion this is not always a bad thing for a book aimed at such young readers. The illustrations are themselves eminently readable so adults, take your time with the child at your side and enjoy this delightful little tale.

[Jerissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friendly, little witch receives a mysterious suitcase at her doorstep. Using her rudimentary skills in magic, she tries unsuccessfully to open it. Hoping to reveal its contents, she seeks the advice of a variety of grown up witches, but they simply inform her she will have to wait until she is older and more clever. Undeterred by their suggestions and determined by her curiosity, she thinks and thinks about what she could do. With lovely, detailed illustrations and pull-out pages, Lieve Baeten and Wietse Fossey remind us that big ideas can come from little places.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet illustrations with a story line that keeps you guessing, makes for a fun book for kiddos to enjoy. Little Witch is sent a box that can not open, no matter how many times and ways she says the opening spell. The only advice she can get from her fellow witches is to keep it until she is big and clever enough to make it open.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fell in love with Little Witch when I read Up and Away with Little Witch, and this title charms me too. I really like how the puzzle Little Witch has to figure out is one that the kids reading the book can guess at too. I also like how all the big witches are so philosophical and unfazed at the mess Little Witch leaves behind when her spells misfire.

[Jeanette Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever is the work to describe the "Clever little witch" book. Little witch finds a suitcase on her front porch and discovers she can't magic it open. She flies around asking for help from various people who tell her basically that when she is big enough she will be able to open it. She went home but kept at it until she figured out the solution.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little story that is made more fun by the fold out pages and the letter you have to unfold to read. I like books like this a lot and remember as a child, the delight I felt with things like this, that give you something a little bit more to explore. A fun book to add to your Halloween reading list

[Brindi Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is just fantastic. The reader immediately likes the Little Witch and her curiosity is too cute. The illustrations and lift-the-flap features are intriguing...and one can see so many fun things going on in each illustration. Too Cute!

[Anne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If a young girl in your life loves witches, be sure to read her this book. The clever little witch in this story is so relatable to both young and old and the pictures are absolutely charming. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is magical!

[Mips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nederlandse titel "Slimme Lotje"

[Ruth Govaerts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik herinner me nog dat ze op de radio zeiden: "Lieve Baeten is gestorven" daar is ons hele gezinnetje toch wel eventje stil van geworden. Haar boeken van Lotje zijn echt mooi!

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of a little witch but not necessarily a Halloween book.

[Jj · Rating 3 out of 5]

originally published in German (2003)

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter loves all the little witch book series!

[FM Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute one with lots of the features kids like, a kid witch, non-scary spells and magic, an adventure, and lots of fold out pages including a secret letter. My 3.5 year old really enjoyed this one and then suddenly decided she didn't like it so much anymore because she decided she was scared of witches, I think, though not actually any of the witches in this story. Anyway it reminded me of how much I liked the Jolly Postman when i was younger, for all the fold out pages, and it's a cute story that keeps you interested in why the little witch can't open the suitcase and what might be inside. Definitely worth a read and wish I could read more books in the series but this is the only one my library has!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Clever Little Witch is the story of a little witch that found a suitcase, but it wouldn't open, when she said the magic words. Hocus Pocus Witch's ride, Little Suitcase open wide. Everything around her opened up, but not the suitcase. She went to see the Doctor and she tries the spell, but everything around him opened. He told her it must be for an Older Witch's Suitcase. She tried another witch and it didn't work. So she went back home and decided to change the spell to have it stay closed and GUESS WHAT? Read the book to find out.

[Pam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tiny print for young readers to follow.
The story was predictable.
Fold out pages showed the same scene over and over - just in different locations.
The little witch finally opened the suitcase and automatically followed the map to Witch School at the end.

[Lotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute illustrated story about Lotje, a small which, who happens to be clever. Ha.
Made even cuter by my sister, who gave this to me as a gift with the nicest dedication in it.

It also warms my heart to see that this series has been translated in English, so readers across the world can enjoy it.

[Carson Talley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisette is a witch who has to overcome many different challenges and obstacles by outsmarting creatures in the forest. She uses things like cleverness and being kind to help her though these different things.