Book Review: The Not-So-Wicked Witch

Witches tend to have a bad reputation in literature, especially children’s stories. From the Wicked Witch to Roald Dahl’s The Witches, they’re always scheming and trying to cause havoc, steal children (and sometimes even eat them) and other terrible things.

But sometimes a witch comes along who doesn’t want any part of all that mischief. What’s a not-so-wicked witch to do when she doesn’t want to do the things the other witches want to do?

That’s the idea behind The Not-S0-Wicked Witch by Bethan Stevens.

The naughty little witches (all the witches are portrayed as young girls) are always causing trouble, stealing socks, eating the last cookie, tracking mud everywhere. But the littlest witch wants to be helpful, friendly and nice to people.

While the other witches warn her that her face might get stuck with a smile and that she’s giving witches a bad reputation, she still just wants to be kind.

So when the witches come upon a human child’s birthday party — complete with their favorite food, marshmallows — the naughty witches want to make a sleeping potion to feed the children so they can steal the treats. But the littlest witch has a plan that will help everyone to get what they want.

It’s a sweet little story for preschool and early grades, with cute pictures also drawn by the author. This is a fun non-spooky Halloween tale that’s great for use in the classroom or at home. You can use it as a way to talk about what actions are naughty and which ones are nice, and what kind of people we prefer to be around. Because the kids are nice to the witches when they are nice to the kids, it serves as a reminder that it works that way with people, too.

About the book: 32 pages, hardcover. Published 2024 by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books. Suggested retail price $18.99.

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Watermelon Activities for Kids

Last month I shared some tips for teaching the alphabet to kids and why going in alphabetical order isn’t the best way to do it. Honestly a lot of learning at this age has to do with play, so let’s look at some fun alphabet activities that kids can do that will help them learn the alphabet.

Activities that get kids moving and learning at the same time are ideal for preschool, and Forward with Fun has a few great ideas, like this fly swatter letter recognition game (which you could also use for numbers, words, all sorts of things you’re learning) and a beginning sound stomping game.

Another fun alphabet game you can do at home or adapt for wherever you are is this printable alphabet scavenger hunt from Play Party Plan. They’ve got a list of items to find and also a blank printable you can write your own list on, or let kids write down what they find for each letter.

Or do a literal letter scavenger hunt like this one from Happily Ever Mom. This one uses the letters from an alphabet puzzle but you could also use magnet letters or just cut out shapes of letters. It also adds the fun of doing it in the dark and hunting with a flashlight, but you can also do it with the lights on if you want.

This alphabet sensory bottle from Parenting Chaos is made with a set of alphabet beads and would be fun to keep in the classroom or have in the car or for quiet times.

Use what you have to make an alphabet learning activity, like this one made with Duplo blocks from Playtivities. You can stick letters to the sides of blocks (or write them on) and just play with them, use them for letter recognition and talking about sounds, and eventually spelling and reading, too.

Turn letter learning into craft time by making a big letter out of a bunch of little letters with this activity from Meaningful Mama. If you don’t get magazines anymore check with your local Buy Nothing group, or your local library may have some they’re looking to get rid of.

I think most preschoolers love dot markers, so these free alphabet dot marker worksheets from Daydream into Reality would be a great thing to download and print out. This is a great set because it includes uppercase and lowercase letters, and some have letter tracing practice while others include something that starts with that letter that kids can color. Work with one letter at a time or the letters in the child’s name and then provide the whole set as a quiet time activity.

Another great set of alphabet worksheets that isn’t free (and would also be good for older kids) is this set from My Nerdy Teacher. These worksheets include letter tracing and recognition activities, as well as objects to color.

I also love these alphabet roads printables from Messy Little Monster, which kids can use with cars to trace the letters (they could also be playdough mats you use to form the letters in the shape shown, or trace with a dry erase marker).

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