🎃Blog Tour: The Itty-Bitty Witch by Trisha Speed Shaskan, illustrated by Xindi Yan

The Itty-Bitty Witch by Trisha Speed Shaskan, 

illustrated by Xindi Yan

Two Lions Press, 2019, 32 pages 

Betty is so excited to begin first-grade at witch school. Small for her age, Betty's broom is small as well. But the other kids laugh at her kinder-broom and start calling her Itty Bitty instead of Betty.

And no matter how many times she corrects them, they continue to all her Itty Bitty, which always makes her feel small inside. It doesn't help that she isn't as fast or as skillful as the other witches whenever they practice flying on their brooms. And the other witches aren't very nice about it.

But when the teacher announces the Halloween Dash, a competition among the students, Betty is convinced that if she wins the race, the other kids will stop calling her that awful name. Betty maps out the race course, makes up a rhymes to remember it and practices, practices, practices. Will her strategy work or will Betty be hindered by a "kinder-broom" and her size?

The Itty-Bitty Witch is less a Halloween tale and more a story about how hurtful the name-calling of peers can be. The text and illustrations really capture Betty's sinking self-esteem the more she is called Itty Bitty as she struggles to keep up with the other kids. However, readers see how quick thinking and cleverness save the day for Betty. The colorful, digital cartoon-like illustrations compliment a text with lots of onomatopoeia and I like the fact that the first-grade witch class is quite diverse. A fun book for kids that is sure to become a favorite.

Watch the Trailer:

Meet the Author:

When Trisha Speed Shaskan was a child, Halloween meant bobbing for apples, daring to touch brains (which may have been noodles), and—best of all—wearing costumes. She still loves dressing up for Halloween. Trisha is the author of more than forty children’s books, including Punk Skunks and the Q & Ray series, both illustrated by her husband, Stephen Shaskan. Trisha lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with Stephen; their cat, Eartha; and their dog, Beatrix. Learn more at www.trishaspeedshaskan.com.

Find her on Twitter and Facebook

Meet the Illustrator:

Xindi Yan grew up in a small city called Wuhu in China, and like Betty, she was always the smallest in her class. Standing a little shy of five feet, she still can’t reach the high shelves in grocery stores and sometimes finds that shoes made for kids fit her best. But her size didn’t stop her from chasing her big dreams of being a published artist in New York City. Xindi is the illustrator of Sylvia Rose and the Cherry Tree by Sandy Shapiro Hurt and the Craftily Ever After series by Martha Maker. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and hopes to have a puppy one day. Learn more at www.xindiyanart.com

Twitter: @xindiyan

Instagram: @xindiyanart

This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was provided by Blue Slip Media