Phoebe Wahl’s world-building is superbly skillful across every page of this book, and it all begins with these endpapers. How I adore a hand-fashioned map! A map that helps kids conceptualize the world they’re about to enter that allows them to return to trace the journeys of the protagonist. Need I say more? Well, how about a few peeks inside.īefore we get going on the stories themselves, allow me to wax poetic about the book’s endpapers. A place where creatures watch out for one another, repay favors, and are always happy for an impromptu dance party. A place where we can dip our tired toes in crystal clear water one minute and ride on an owl’s back the next. It has been a long two years, and I feel like we all deserve to spend some time in a place where tea cakes and twinkling lights are always in fashion, where coziness and cocoa reign supreme, and where the wonders of the wilderness are just an acorn’s throw away. He days are spent divided between work and play, between helping others and tending to herself. Little Witch Hazel lives alone at the base of a tree in the enchanting Mosswood forest, surrounded by trees and waterfalls and a community of gnomes, elves, goblins, trolls, dryads, anthropomorphic amphibians, and tiny talking mammals. It stars a cheery, capable, caring little witch with a pointed red cap and a fondness for messy braids and fair isle sweaters. Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest (Ages 4-8), by the extraordinary Phoebe Wahl-I blinked and missed her 2020 picture book for last year’s Gift Guide, and I’ll not make that mistake again-is an anthology of four stories, one for each season. Towering toadstools! All I’m saying is that there aren’t many books you want to clutch to your chest and carry around with you, so when you find one, you just want everyone to have it, OK? It’s got a nostalgic charm that appeals to us oldies doing the gifting. It’s hefty, packed with details that demand repeat readings. (Some past picks are here, here, here, and here.) I recognize that choosing books for loved ones is immensely personal, but sometimes a book comes along that checks all the boxes. Traditionally, I kick off every Gift Guide with my favorite picture book of the year. This year, I’m especially excited to be partnering with Old Town Books, a fantastic indie here in Alexandria, VA, where I’ll be presenting my full Gift Guide LIVE and IN PERSON at 7pm on November 12 and 13, with a chance to shop with me afterwards (get your tickets here!). It’s getting to be the most wonderful time of year: Gift Guide season! Over the next few weeks, you’ll be treated to round ups of picture books, graphic novels, middle-grade books, young adult books, and specialty books with a gifty flair.
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