The second of twenty delightful picture-books detailing the adventures of Dorrie - a little witch whose hat is always on crooked, and whose stockings never match - Dorrie and the Blue Witch is also my favorite of the series. I checked it out of the library constantly as a child, reading the story and poring over the illustrations countless times. I simply adored Dorrie and her black cat Gink, and loved reading about her witchy home and adventures...

When her mother, the Big Witch, is summoned to a very important meeting, Dorrie finds herself confronting Mildred the (very bad) Blue Witch. Nasty, and very powerful, Mildred wants to kidnap her, but Dorrie isn't the daughter of a witch for nothing, and with the aid of her mother's perfume she turns the tables with a vengeance!

In addition to its appealing narrative, I have always thought that Dorrie and the Blue Witch was one of Patricia Coombs' most visually engaging titles. The scenes in which Mildred gives off blue sparks set my heart racing as a girl, and I enjoyed the sense of height evoked by the many staircases in Dorrie's home. The picture in which Dorrie, the Big Witch, and Gink all climb to the magic room in the tower, with their shadows spread out behind them on the wall, is particularly memorable.

Sadly, the Dorrie books are all out-of-print, and exceedingly difficult to come by. I consider myself fortunate indeed to have come across copies of this, and of the first title in the series, Dorrie's Magic, but I wish some astute children's editor would consider reprinting the lot of them! ( )