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Old Black Witch #3
Old Witch Rescues Halloween!
Old Witch uses her magic to overcome Mr. Butterbean's edict against Halloween.
36 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 31, 2018
I've saved one of the best books for Halloween day!!! Wende Devlin is awesome and she rocks my world!
“Point your toe,
Skip and dance,
It’s Halloween,
and time to Dance”
I love that one. I might have to use that this Halloween
Cranky Mr. Butterbean is saying there will be no Halloween (how dare he and what gives the old rich miser the right?! Give it to him Old witch). Old witch is going to defeat ol’ Butterbean at the town meeting when she is kidnapped and locked in Butterbean’s Manor.
She flys to Town Hall on her broom where Butterbean makes the mistake of dumping a pitcher of water on her. Soaking, Old witch turns Butterbean into a small frog. “snakes Knees!” Old Witch saves Halloween. She does turn him back and he is nicer.
I love this series and I love the warm cozy artwork. Old witch has an edge. She is a little bit wicked and enough good that she can reasonably live with people in the town if they aren't mean. She’s not all sweet. It’s a great character. She brings a dash of danger.
Sadly, our library can’t get this, not even our state ILL program. This is a Library of Congress book and I could not read it to the Kids. I would love to read this one too them. I think they would like it, but I greatly enjoy it.
Much love for Old Witch!
“Point your toe,
Skip and dance,
It’s Halloween,
and time to Dance”
I love that one. I might have to use that this Halloween
Cranky Mr. Butterbean is saying there will be no Halloween (how dare he and what gives the old rich miser the right?! Give it to him Old witch). Old witch is going to defeat ol’ Butterbean at the town meeting when she is kidnapped and locked in Butterbean’s Manor.
She flys to Town Hall on her broom where Butterbean makes the mistake of dumping a pitcher of water on her. Soaking, Old witch turns Butterbean into a small frog. “snakes Knees!” Old Witch saves Halloween. She does turn him back and he is nicer.
I love this series and I love the warm cozy artwork. Old witch has an edge. She is a little bit wicked and enough good that she can reasonably live with people in the town if they aren't mean. She’s not all sweet. It’s a great character. She brings a dash of danger.
Sadly, our library can’t get this, not even our state ILL program. This is a Library of Congress book and I could not read it to the Kids. I would love to read this one too them. I think they would like it, but I greatly enjoy it.
Much love for Old Witch!
October 12, 2018
The third and final entry in Wende and Harry Devlin's picture-book series about the Old Black Witch - begun in
Old Black Witch!
and continued in
Old Witch and the Polka-Dot Ribbon
- this vintage tale (first published in 1972) follows its eponymous heroine as she saves the village of Oldwick from the machinations of the mean-spirited Mr. Butterbean. The wealthiest and most influential resident in the area, Mr. Butterbean - sick of the noisy children and trick-or-treating that accompanied the holiday - attempts to force a ban on Halloween at the town meeting, only to be confronted by an enraged Old Witch, escaped from the tower of Butterbean Manor, where she was meant to be a prisoner, for the duration of the meeting...
As a confirmed lover of witchy picture-books, I would like to read all three of the Devlins' stories about the doings of the Old Black Witch, but sadly, only this third entry in the series is available from my library system. An entertaining romp, complete with engaging characters (I liked Nicky and his mother, as well as the Old Witch herself), and humorous cartoon-style illustrations, Old Witch Rescues Halloween is a welcome addition to any Halloween shelf, or witchy collection. I enjoyed it enough to mourn the fact that the first entry in the series isn't more widely available...
Addendum: since writing the above review, the initial title in this picture-book series, Old Black Witch! has been reprinted by the Kentucky-based Purple House Press, which republishes vintage children's books that have gone out of print, but deserve another airing.
As a confirmed lover of witchy picture-books, I would like to read all three of the Devlins' stories about the doings of the Old Black Witch, but sadly, only this third entry in the series is available from my library system. An entertaining romp, complete with engaging characters (I liked Nicky and his mother, as well as the Old Witch herself), and humorous cartoon-style illustrations, Old Witch Rescues Halloween is a welcome addition to any Halloween shelf, or witchy collection. I enjoyed it enough to mourn the fact that the first entry in the series isn't more widely available...
Addendum: since writing the above review, the initial title in this picture-book series, Old Black Witch! has been reprinted by the Kentucky-based Purple House Press, which republishes vintage children's books that have gone out of print, but deserve another airing.
July 27, 2017
Too simple and predictable for me right now, but I can definitely see the appeal and appreciate that this library copy has been repaired several times... still a hit among some readers! I do really like the first book, and I love the Devlin's Cranberryport series, so maybe my expectations for this were too high.
July 13, 2009
Not the best "Old Witch" book but still a fun read. The pictures are, as always, excellent.
June 12, 2019
Old Witch uses her magic to overcome Mr. Butterbean's edict against Halloween.
September 19, 2011
Had this as a kid with an accompanying 45 record--LOVED IT! I think I played it a zillion times. How can you not love it when she says "Ratchafratch!" ;) Too bad the Old Witch books are out of print now.
October 8, 2010
Wonderful book! Will become a family favorite for several years to read around Halloween.
October 9, 2011
Beautifully done. Every child (and probably most adults) will enjoy it when the villain gets his just desserts for trying to take away Halloween!
November 18, 2012
The richest man in town plans to cancel Halloween but not if the Old Witch has any say in the matter.
themes: Halloween, misers, witches
themes: Halloween, misers, witches
June 29, 2013
I had the original Old Black Witch as a child , never knew this one existed until recently . Fabulous book !
October 20, 2019
Old witch rides again to save Halloween for the town of Oldwick.
May 24, 2026
Rating: 3.5/5
Delightfully illustrated and charming in its simplicity. A tale of a witchy old woman defeating an uptight man hellbent on banning all Halloween activities.
I had to listen to the audiobook recording, since this is seemingly long out-of-print. I hope it gets another release someday. I would love to own a copy, especially for the beautiful pictures.
Delightfully illustrated and charming in its simplicity. A tale of a witchy old woman defeating an uptight man hellbent on banning all Halloween activities.
I had to listen to the audiobook recording, since this is seemingly long out-of-print. I hope it gets another release someday. I would love to own a copy, especially for the beautiful pictures.
October 19, 2021
Cute but not that memorable.
October 31, 2021
Never read this one before, so it was great to find a new-to-me Old Witch tale specifically highlighting Halloween. Lots of atmosphere, especially with Devlin's lovely illustrations of decorations and trick-or-treaters, and Old Witch sticks it to the Man like always.
Bonus points for the Halloween-hating villain in this one being married to the villain in Polka Dot Ribbon.
Bonus points for the Halloween-hating villain in this one being married to the villain in Polka Dot Ribbon.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews