The Teeny, Tiny Witches

by Jan Wahl, Margot Tomes (Illustrator)

Relates the adventures of a family of teeny tiny witches as they search for a home.

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Witches, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Jan Wahl was an American author best known for his imaginative and influential children’s books, which combined wit, warmth and a deep respect for young readers. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Wahl showed artistic promise early, performing piano on children’s radio programs and appearing on stage alongside legendary magician Harry Blackstone Sr. He studied at Cornell University, where he took classes with Vladimir Nabokov, and continued his education in Europe as a Fulbright scholar before completing graduate studies in the United States.
Wahl began publishing children’s books in the mid-1960s and quickly became a prolific and celebrated voice in the field, ultimately writing more than 120 works. Titles such as Pleasant Fieldmouse, The Furious Flycycle and Humphrey’s Bear earned him a devoted readership and critical acclaim. His stories were frequently illustrated by major artists, including Edward Gorey, Maurice Sendak and Mercer Mayer, and were praised for their playful tone, emotional intelligence and sense of empowerment.
Beyond writing, Wahl led an unusually rich cultural life, working with filmmakers, writers and artists, lecturing widely on film history and literature, and maintaining close ties to both the literary and cinematic worlds.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were all kinds of witches in the world, from cross to happy, skinny to fat, but Ma, Pa and Sam Witch were teeny, tiny witches - the only ones of their kind. Seeking a place where they "fit," this miniature family continually found itself forced to move on, establishing one home after another - in a field pumpkin, a tree hole, a teapot - only to be supplanted by stronger residents, from shrews to humans. Would these teeny tiny witches ever find a place to settle down...?

The Teeny, Tiny Witches is the second picture-book I have read, in the course of my "witchy-witches" project, to be illustrated by Margot Tomes - the first being Tony Johnston's The Witch's Hat - and that's primarily the reason I picked it up, this past weekend, from my public library's Halloween display. It's not really a Halloween story, although the witchy theme makes it appropriate for this time of year. The illustrations are winsome, in that Margot Tomes-ish kind of way that's so difficult to pin down (attractive, without being "pretty"), and the story will appeal to young readers who like tales of small people, such as The Borrowers , or The Littles .

[Jorie Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: There is a family of tiny witches and they are looking for a home. They try out many different places, but other animals and creatures kick the little witches out of their homes. They finally find a home by sharing it with an old rat in a hole in a wall at a lonely old mans house. They all live happily together.
Response: Short and easy holiday read. The story could be controversial for some students because of the witches. I enjoyed all the different characters and the different attributes that each character brought to the story. This is a great book for Halloween season.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Teeny, Tiny Witches is an old fashion story about a family of very small witches and being so small they had very limited magical powers. In a series of attempts to find a home, they are forced to move on each time until they find a home with a mouse in Elmer's house, just in time for winter.

I read it and discussed how they made friends and helped each other in the story with the reading group of preschool children. They enjoyed the small illustrations in muted colors, so different from many children's books and we talked about this too.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just an okay story about three tiny witches who can't seem to find a place to fit in. They have no real magical powers and everyplace they find gets inhabited by somebody else. They finally find a cottage with an old man and a mouse living in it. They befriend the mouse who tells them this can be their new home. My rating - 3/5

[Little Champs]

H 39.03

[Valerie Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been so fun! Instead it was Lackluster…..

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story even though it was copyrighted in 1979. Short, but still creative, telling of a story of a family of three teeny tiny witches who continue to get pushed out of spaces they are using for a home. Until they meet the right animal who will share. Loved the illustrations by Margot Tomes.
Die but a goodie.

[Michelle Dunlap]

The Teeny Tiny Witches by Jan Wahl is a story about Tiny Sam witch who was tired of moving. Tiny same witch and his parents felt like they did not fit anywhere. When they relocated somewhere, a creature would always scare them away. They moved again as usual, but this time they encountered a mouse named Elmer. Would this mouse treat the Teeny Tiny Witches like everyone else had?

The book uses autumn color along with back and white illustrations every other page. This book seems like a good book to read aloud because of its emphasis on descriptive words like mean, kind, and happy in the text. There are different styles of text that the book uses, like dialogue among the characters. This book would be ideal for children in grades one through three.

[FlasoFlaso · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I give it five stars. It is the best book in the world. It is a long book." - William, age 6.
He stayed interested in the story and giggled at a few parts. He usually complains about long books if they don't hold his interest really well. I will say, for those worried about such things, the Pa Witch does smoke a pipe. And at the end, the word "fitted" is used when it should be "fit". Those things did not bother us at all (well, maybe the last one did a little), but they may bother others. - William's mom

[Dolly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though not specifically about Halloween, the fall setting at the beginning and the family of witches lend themselves nicely for reading during that holiday. The story itself was just okay, but our girls liked it.