Petrell Marie Özbay

Ginger was a little witch who loved both Halloween and Christmas, but although she decorated for the yuletide season every year, made Christmas treats aplenty, and worked hard to make Santa's "Nice List," somehow she never received a visit from that holiday gift giver. Deciding that something needed to be done, she wrote to Santa directly, asking him to believe in her, just as she believed in him. Previously unaware of the existence of witches, Santa decided to take a leap of faith, and sure enough, he found Ginger and her home in the Invisible Forest just where she said they were, paying his first ever Christmas Eve visit to a witch...

Co-written by Petrell Marie Özbay and Tess La Bella, and illustrated by Sonya Abby, none of whom were familiar to me before picking this book up, Merry Witchmas is a sweet seasonal delight, one that has appeal for me both as a witchy picture book—a perennial pet project of mine—and as a heartwarming holiday tale. I was charmed by Ginger, and her many wonderful holiday observances; I appreciated the fact that she worked hard to be a kind and helpful person throughout the year, in order to make Santa's "Nice List;" and I thought that the idea of Santa needing to believe in a potential gift recipient, rather than the other way around (as is more often the case in Christmas tales) was an interesting storytelling choice. The illustrations here, which were created digitally, were also very appealing, and I loved the blending of Halloween and Christmas elements, visually speaking. Ginger's embroidered Christmas dress was particularly lovely! Recommended to anyone looking for witchy Christmas tales for the picture book set. Other titles I would recommend in this vein, that might make good companions to this one, include Lieve Baeten's Merry Christmas, Little Witch and James Brown's Jingle Spells.… (plus d'informations)

The fun aspects of Halloween and Christmas come together in a witch young readers will wish they could have as a friend.

Ginger is a very normal witch. She dresses like one, flies on her broom, and enjoys Halloween, but unlike other witches, as soon as Halloween is over, she embraces and thrives on everything Christmas. With a cauldron of hot chocolate bubbling over the fire, she dreams of the day Santa will come to her house, but no matter how hard she tries, he fails to appear. But soon, things take an interesting twist.

This is such a cute witch. She might have everything all witches do, but her bubbly and cheerful nature is contagious and quickly draws a smile. The author allows the two holidays to mold as the decorations of this little witch take a Halloween-y direction and still hold Christmas cheer. Plus, this witch has a heart of gold as she goes at and helps where she can. She's impossible not to like and cheer for.

The illustrations are packed with details for tons of gazing fun. Since there's a mix of holidays, it's a treat to search and find all sorts of surprises. The depictions do a lovely job at bringing across the tale and allow readers/listeners to explore the tale on their own as well.

The messages in this one are warm, encouraging and filled with hope. Ginger's desire to do her best is inspiring, and her hold on her beliefs despite everything also warm the heart. It's a read, which leaves a smile on the face and is one that will probably be followed by that simple phrase 'read it again'.
I received an ARC and liked this little witch quite a bit.… (plus d'informations)